Harry Potter and the Tomb of Libitina
by Axerton
Summary: Post HBP. Harry Ron and Hermione contemplate the impossible, destroying the greatest dark lord in a hundred years, but trouble arises before they can even start trying to weaken his defenses. Please Read and Review!
1. The Will of the Greatest

**Harry Potter and the Tomb of Libitina **

**Chapter 1: The Will of the Greatest**

Harry's hand closed automatically over the fake Horcrux but, in spite of everything, in spite of the dark twisting path he saw stretching ahead for himself, in spite of the final meeting with Voldemort he knew must come, whether in a month in a year, or in ten, he felt his heart lift at the thought that there was still one last golden day of peace with Ron and Hermione.

At that moment Professor McGonagall's voice reached over the crowd, "Unfortunately the Hogwarts Express will not be ready for the journey until later this evening; there will be a space of some three hours before it is ready. Those students whose parents have attended today are of course free to go."

Ron looked around nervously. "You don't think something's gone wrong, with the train I mean?"

Hermione turned to him and whispered, just loud enough for Harry to hear as well, "I don't think so; I think that the Ministry will just be upping the security for the journey." Harry thought that she was probably right, as usual, but before he could agree with her Professor McGonagall had laid a hand on his shoulder from behind.

"Mr Potter, I would appreciate if you would spend some of the time, between now and the train journey home, in my office," she said in a voice that Harry had only ever heard her adopt when he had requested permission to see the petrified Hermione in their second year.

"Professor, if this is about what Dumbledore and I did that night?"  
"No, you have already made your views on that clear and, misguided though I believe them to be, I respect them. This is about... Albus' last will and testament."

Harry stared at her in amazement. He looked at Ron and Hermione. They were both gaping at him. He looked back to the new headmistress. "My office, Mr Potter, as soon as possible please." Before he could fully catch up with this development, she had turned and marched off, choking back a sob.

Predictably, Hermione was the first to wake from this impressed reverie and said quietly, "You'd better go, Harry." Harry nodded silently and turned and walked away back up the stone front steps, through the Entrance Hall and the corridors that he had pounded so often that year on his way to his tutorials with Dumbledore.

When he reached the stone gargoyle that guarded the spiral staircase, he met Hagrid waiting outside, eyes still red and tears still clearly visible in his thick beard. He did not seem capable of speaking to Harry or even smiling as he usually did, but merely nodded and turned to the gargoyle and said, "I will only truly have left this school when none here are loyal to me." No sudden leap from the gargoyle; instead it gave a deep bow and stepped sideways. Harry stepped onto the staircase, which rumbled into life and moved upwards.

Inside the office there were a small group of people. The first he saw was Mad-Eye Moody, whose magical eye was completely still in its socket. Harry then noticed Professor Slughorn, Professor Flitwick and Professor Trelawney (whose usual garb of many shawls and overlarge glasses had today been replaced by black dress robes and blissfully scaled glasses). The last in line was Remus Lupin. Harry stood awkwardly in a corner feeling uncomfortably bright in his green dress robes. After a while Harry heard the stairwell move again and Hagrid walked in followed by Professor McGonagall and finally the innkeeper from the Hogshead. Harry vaguely wondered why he had been invited but Professor McGonagall spoke in a voice that was barely audible above the many sniffs and sobs throughout the room.

"Thank you all for coming, I thought it would be a good time now while everyone was already here to hear Albus' will." She turned away and walked across the room that appeared not to have changed at all in the time that she had taken possession of it, and over to the cabinet that Dumbledore had once stored drinks in and withdrew from it the stone basin that Harry had seen so often though out the year. She removed her wand from a pocket and touched the silvery thoughts that swilled within it and stepped back as a tall figure grew out of it, his eyes twinkling he grew to his full height and smiled around the room.

Harry noticed that this Dumbledore's hands were whole and healthy. Quickly, he turned to Professor McGonagall and asked, "Professor, when was this recorded?" His voice was a whisper, his throat barely managing to get the words out.

"A few months after You-Know-Who's return," she replied, her voice just as husky as his had been.

Harry turned back to the transparent Dumbledore and waited for him to start speaking.

"This memory is being played back and that can only mean one thing; I have passed on to the next great adventure. I have only one thing to say about that; Damn." Harry noticed Slughorn and Moody grin to themselves. "I suppose that means that I must distribute my few possessions among those I care about. Firstly, I leave my rather large collection of books to the Hogwarts school library. Now to Alistair Moody, possibly my oldest and dearest friend, I give you the various possessions of Grindelwald whom you helped me defeat so, so long ago and I hope you will find them useful. I know that they are possibly some of the most powerful magical items still in existence and will no doubt help you lead the Order of the Phoenix, which I also leave in your charge. To Horace Slughorn I leave my many essays on the various magical properties and uses of dragon's blood, as well as my – uncompleted – notes on alchemy, a topic I know you take great interest in.

"Minerva, I leave to you the position of Headmistress at Hogwarts, as well as this pensive which you will find most necessary as Headmistress especially if you continue teaching as I did until your arrival. To Severus Snape ..." There were angry noises from all around the room. Undoubtedly the most indignant was Hagrid; who jumped to his feet and brought one of his great fists down on an empty chair which was reduced to sawdust and splinters from the onslaught. No-one bothered to tell Hagrid to control himself, or to repair the chair. Harry was so angry in fact that his furious thoughts caused him to miss what Dumbledore was bequeathing to Snape, Flitwick and Trelawney, but he was brought back to his surroundings by the sound another familiar name that should not be among this list.

"...To Sirius Black, to you I can only offer my most humble apologies for sending you to Azkaban and I find myself at a loss for what I can give to you to make up for this so I give you one third of my Gringotts account that may go some short way to repaying the thirteen years that I, along with others, robed you of. To Remus Lupin I also give one third of my Gringotts account this hopefully will make your uncomfortable life somewhat more bearable and will hopefully lessen your financial difficulties. I also beg you to reconsider your choice to allow the Homorphus Charm to be performed on you. I am sure even with me gone there will be someone who can perform the charm for you."

"To Rubeus Hagrid I wish to one last time declare my non-swerving confidence in you and to insist to Minerva that keep your jobs both as Game Keeper and Care of Magical Creatures teacher."

Harry could have sworn he heard Professor McGonagall mutter, "Naturally."

"I also have a special gift for you, a gift that I would have been arrested for giving you if I was still alive so I give it to you now. An Antipodean Opaleye egg that I procured though means of my own but only as long as you swear that it will live in the cave that lies beyond the Forbidden Forest."

There was some curious muttering at this. Hagrid's jaw was currently residing somewhere around the region of his chest and did not look like returning to its customary position for some time. Harry attempted to remember what an Antipodean Opaleye was, but was cut short when the memory of Dumbledore continued.

"To my brother Aberforth," Harry looked around but could not see who Dumbledore was addressing and had almost decided that he had been unable to attend the funeral when he met the eyes of the barman from the Hogshead. At that moment he realized where he had seen him before. It had been niggling at the back of his mind for over a year now and he could finally remember that it was in the photo of the original Order that Moody had shown him. "I admit I have not always been the best of brothers," the memory continued. "But know that I have always cared about your welfare more than you can possibly know. To you I leave the remaining third of my account at Gringotts and all of the instruments in this office that I inherited from our father."

Harry was about to get up thinking it was over when he realized that he would not have been summoned unless he was also a benefactor of the will. Sure enough, "Lastly to Harry Potter, the closest thing to a son I have ever had and the student who I am most proud of throughout my whole time at Hogwarts. To you I leave you something that is by rights yours anyway. You will find it in the third drawer on the left side of my desk in a small case that bears the Potter family crest."

Professor McGonagall opened the drawer with a wave of her wand and summoned a small box about the size of a shoe box but only half as deep and in the shape of a shield which she passed to Harry. He resisted the urge to open it because Dumbledore was speaking again.

"This leaves only the issue of Fawkes. I admit that I am not absolutely sure about this due to the fact that I am the only recorded case of taming a specimen for several hundred years. I see three possibilities; one that he will return to the wild state in which I first met him, secondly he may remove himself from this world go on to the afterlife to follow me, thirdly that he will go to whom I leave him to, if that is the case then I will leave him to, if Fawkes will assent to accepting him, Harry Potter. And so I now bid you all one very final good-bye." With that the translucent figure disappeared again.

There was a time where all the people in the room sat either lost in thought or examining what Dumbledore had left them. Harry was in the latter class. The box that had been produced from the desk was covered in a thick layer of dust. Harry pulled out his wand and gave it a wave. The dust disappeared silently, leaving behind a white cover with a lion and a stag grappling on it. Harry stared; the stag an image so very familiar to him. It was the exact one that his Patronus formed and, he was prepared to bet, the same one that his father had been able transform into. After a while he opened it. Inside there were several glass vials and a tightly folded note. Harry opened it and read Dumbledore's familiar snaking script:

_Harry, this box was one of the only things that could be found in the ruins of your parents house and I should have given it to you along time ago, but in all honesty, I didn't know if you would want to see what was inside. All that it can possibly show are bad memories. You will see that there are four bottles inside. These are memories. The one with the yellow stopper contains the prophecy and the others are memories of your mother and father at Hogwarts and after. I am sure you will find them most interesting. But these are not what this box was originally made to store. If you look in the underside of the lid you will see a small compartment, within which is the key to Godric's Hollow. Use it well._

Harry stared at the note, remembering the exact same three words that had been written on the note that had come with his father's invisibility cloak. He was pulled from his reverie by the sound of Hagrid tearfully muttering the words he had so often said before, "Great man, Dumbledore, Great man."

Harry turned around and smiled at Hagrid, "Yeah, he was, Hagrid," he replied. Hagrid managed a weak smile.

"So, wha' was in the box?"

"The key to Godric's Hollow, not that it will do me much good. From what you and Sirius said there wasn't a key hole to put a key in after... You-Know-Who went thought it," Harry said carefully, not wanting to upset people when they were so miserable already.

"Don't be so sure about tha', Harry," Hagrid said with a stronger smile. "Your mum and dad were damn powerful. Maybe they will have done something about the house. I doubt Dumbledore would give you a useless gift."

"Yeah," Harry said, realizing that Hagrid was completely correct. He then remembered the egg that Dumbledore had given to Hagrid and his saying that it was illegal. "What is an Antipodean Opaleye?" he asked, with a sneaking suspicion that he might already know.

"It – well – it's a dragon, Harry," Hagrid said, confirming Harry's guess. "Come from New Zealand, beautiful scales and nowhere near as vicious as most other dragons. But well, the thing is that I don't know if I can take it."

"Why not? Hatching an illegal dragon didn't worry you with Norbert."

"It's not that it's illegal, is just that I can't keep it were Dumbledore asked me to. Ya see, that's were Grawp lives these days and don't think he would appreciate sharing his cave with a dragon; giants hate dragons and dragons hate giants, ya see it's just 'ow they're born. They're the biggest threat to each other, apart from wizards." Harry was impressed at the loyalty that Hagrid was showing to Dumbledore but deep down he was glad that there would not be another dragon hatching any time soon, even if it was less vicious than other dragons.

Remus Lupin then walked over to Harry and Hagrid and after a quick nod to Hagrid he turned to Harry and said, "Come on, Harry, I think we should go back out to the grounds; your prolonged absence may be noticed by some people." Harry was sure that by some people Lupin had meant Scrimgeour and the other Ministry members.

"Ok," he said quietly and he got up to go and, together with Lupin, walked to the foot of the staircase.

"I am also going back to the grounds, because my absence will be noticed by other people," he said with a quick smile and Harry thought that, this time, he must be talking about Tonks.

Once they had stepped off moving staircase, Harry turned to Lupin, "Professor..."

"Remus, please, Harry. It is now almost three years since I was your teacher so please address me by my name."

"Remus; what happens to the gold that Dumbledore left to Sirius?"

"Well, as Sirius left all his possessions to you, the money will go on to you."

"No! I've got more than enough money already, you have it."

"Harry, that is very generous but…."

"You were Sirius' best friend. He would've wanted you to be able to live comfortably more than he would want me to have extra gold, which I will never be able to spend."

"That is true, Harry...," Lupin was clearly about to argue the point but Harry cut across him.

"Well that's settled then; I'll send an owl to Gringotts to tell them."

They walked together through the maze of corridors in silence for a time, until Harry remembered Dumbledore's parting words to Lupin.

"Remus; what is the Homorphus Charm?"

"Ah, well that is a charm – an immensely complex charm, mind you – that can cure a werewolf. The problem is that it has to be performed when the werewolf is transformed and not under the effects of the Wolfsbane Potion."

"What would happen? If you did it when the person isn't transformed or has taken the potion, I mean?"

"If I hadn't transformed then it wouldn't do anything, if however, I had taken the Wolfsbane potion, I would be cured of my transformation but I would lose my human mind. I would have the mind of a werewolf forever."

"Could you teach me to do it, Professor? – Sorry, Remus – then I could perform it on you."

"A generous offer, Harry, but I am afraid I can not let you take that risk. It would require you to be touching me when I am a wolf and it would be all too easy for me to bite you before you could use the charm. Do not go thinking that nobody has ever offered to do this for me; your father, Sirius, and Dumbledore have all said they would be delighted to do it but I have thought long and hard about it and I could not let anyone else suffer as I have simply in order to try to help me."

"But surely, there must be some way." Harry said, as they walked down the marble staircase that led to the entrance hall.

"No, Harry, there is not, and now you must excuse me, for if you will remember it is full moon tonight and I should go and take another dose of potion that Horace so kindly made for me," and with that he turned around and headed off towards Slughorn's office.


	2. Fall of the Thestrals

**Chapter Two Fall of the theastrals **

Harry walked down the stone steps and out into the brilliantly sunny grounds, he looked around for Ron and Hermione and eventually spotted them along with Fred, George and Ginny. Harry ran over to them, as soon as he had stopped next to them Ginny gave him a look that was part anger part sadness and part admiration then turned and walked away. Fred looked first at his sister's retreating back then at Harry and said "Sorry, have I missed something." Ron and Hermione were looking perplexed as well.

"I ... I, well I suppose that I spilt up with Ginny." The reaction to his words was variable, Fred and George looked confused Ron disappointed and angry and Hermione had her usual look of serousness.

"Ok, yes I have missed something," Fred said, "I was always under the impression that you had to be together with someone before you could split up with them" Harry explained how he and Ginny had started going out to the twins and was sure that there was going to be a smart comment waiting for him at the end but Hermione got in first.

"You didn't split up with her because you wanted you to, did you?"

"No" said Harry unable now to think of a good way of saying why he did.

"Oh Harry, I've said it before if you have a fault it is that you have a thing for saving people" Harry crushed the hot anger that welled up inside him at the sound of the words that Hermione had last used when they had been arguing about going to rescue Sirius from the Department of Mysteries

"This isn't a saving anyone, yet, it's protecting her."

"But Harry you've got to understand that sometimes people want to be able to choose for themselves if they are protected or not, I mean you hate always being tailed by Aurors or people from the Order."

"But this is different"

"Harry I think you should go and talk to her, at least let her decide if she wants to be protected"

"This is almost as bad as half the conversations we heard at Grimmauld Place. Why did you break up with her? Why does she need protecting?" George said angrily

"Sorry George, but this is rather private," Harry said as bluntly as he could without seeming rude.

"Fine we know where we're not wanted, Come on George" Fred said and they left

"Anyway Harry I think you should tell Ginny the whole story." Hermione said once the twins were a good distance away.

"What the horc..." Harry began but was cut off when Hermione said

"Diffindo" as she pointed her wand at the ground, Harry looked and saw the end of a thin flesh coloured piece of string.

"Dammit!" Fred said from the other side of a group of talking third year girls

"The horcruxes and the prophecy and everything?" Harry went on as if there had been no distraction.

"If you want her to understand why you are doing this, then yes."

"No, no I won't. It would put her in danger just knowing all that stuff."

"Fine, let her get more and more angry with you."

Harry spent the hours before the train would arrive talking to Ron and Hermione about anything apart from dark times ahead or Ginny, writing the letter to Gringotts as he had promised Lupin he would and just staring at the white tomb that now housed the remains of the greatest wizard of all time. By the time Professor McGonigal announced that the train was ready to leave it was almost dark.

"We're going to arrive at Kings Cross at about three o'clock in the morning" Ron groaned.

"I wonder why we couldn't just stay here one more night?" Hermione pondered quietly

"Come on lets get a carriage together, and by the way I'm not going to bother with prefect duties on the way back" Ron said

"No I don't think I will either" Hermione said making Ron and Harry stare,

"What's wrong with you Hermione?" Harry asked with a bit of a laugh

"Nothing, I just don't feel like doing it today," she replied as they chose a carriage, Harry patted the theastral that was pulling it before getting in and sitting in the seat facing the back. No one else got in with them and after a moment Harry felt the theastral pull forward. Harry lent forwards to look out the window at Hogwarts castle for what Harry realized with a jolt in his stomach might be the last time in his life. As the carriages rattled down the long driveway harry noticed that it was getting darker very quickly and it was starting to get cold. Within a minute darkness was pressing in on the cabin from every side and the cold was seeping down Harry's spine. He was about to comment on this when Hermione screamed, Harry turned to see what was made her yell and saw dimly the silhouette of their thestral crumpled on the ground.

"Green light, avada kadavra, must have hit the thestral," Hermione gasped.

Before Harry knew what he was doing he dived sideways out of the carriage pulling his wand out as he went, he hit the ground and his knees buckled and from above his head he heard a sickening, rattling breath which was drowned out by a confusion of sound coming from within harry's own head.

Bow to death Harry...Severus Please...Did you love him baby potter...kill the spare...no, not harry I'll do anything...DON'T CALL ME A COWARD!

These thoughts though were in turn drowned out by a piecing terrified scream, Harry recognized the voice that had screamed, it was Ginny. The dark thoughts that were filling his head were pushed aside by one blazing picture of Ginny, Ginny smiling at him. His head was clear now and he got to his knees and bellowed "Expecto Partonum" and just as it should the huge stag burst from his wand and cantered around the stationary cart, by it's light Harry saw at least twenty dementors fleeing into the night.

Harry looked around for Ginny he saw her, unconscious, being held by a dementor another one lowering it's hood to reveal the scabbed face and black hole in the place of a mouth. Before Harry could even issue the command to his partronus it had charged past him antlers lowered it struck the dementor that was about to kiss Ginny square in the chest and it was sent flying off then it stood still facing the other one pawing the ground with one hoof, it's victim dropped the limp figure and fled.

Harry surveyed the scene before him dementors surrounding every carriage some simply standing there others dragging students out into the open. There were too many, by the time he saved one student half the rest would already be worse than dead, but then harry realized that he was not alone a silver otter was streaking towards another one particularly large group of dementors and at the sound of Ron yelling "Expecto Patronum" a silver beast emerged from the cabin, Harry stared at it, large beak front talons and rear hooves, it was a hippogriff, The three patronuses were flying from carriage to carriage forcing the dementors to retreat as the went, and soon they were not the only ones, a silver swan showed that Cho was fighting with them as well and several clouds of white mist hung in the air where people had been unsuccessful with their attempts. Looking at the chaos before him harry saw that almost all of the dementors had gone now and he was just about to heave a sight of relief when he heard a voice that made his blood boil with hatred a voice that he had heard only moments before from inside his own head.

"Avada Kedavra" cried the voice of Bellatrix Lestrange and a beam of bright green light shot towards Harry. He was trapped the unblockable curse was streaking towards him and he was sitting on his knees unable to leap sideways he sat and stared as the sound of rushing death got closer and closer, but then his silver stag had charged in front of him clearly attacking one of the last dementors on the battle field. The curse connected with the patronus and instead of streaking straight through it, it was absorbed into the silver mass that instantly turned iridescent pale green but apart from that remained unchanged and continued to canter towards the dementor. "What? No that is impossible" Bellatrix screeched. Harry simply stared, dumfounded, Avada kadavra was supposed to be unblockable, had he, Harry just discovered the counter curse.

There was however no time for self congratulation as Bellatrix had yelled again "Avada Kedavra" but harry was ready this time he just managed to get out of the way, he could not see Bellatrix but pointed his wand blindly and yelled "Stupify." The red blast lit the area, Harry saw many students climbing out of their carriages to check on the students who had been grabbed by the dementors or to help harry duel with Bellatrix and any other death eaters that were with her but as the jet progressed further harry saw something else, something large, grey and hairy running towards him. It gave a snarl then leapt with one bound onto the top of one of the carriages before howling it's praise to the full moon. A werewolf.

The students all around screamed and ran as fast as they could away from the beast which chose it's target, a plump boy who had still been inside the carriage when he had heard the beast howl, and sprang it landed less than two feat behind the boy and within two strides had caught the boy with it's paws and pinned him to the ground. Harry heard but did not obey as Hermione yelled at harry to leave the boy, he was running towards the unknown boy and his attacker, but he had to stop when a killing curse rocketed past him.

The werewolf was standing on the boys chest he lowered his head slowly to the boys ear and growled menacingly, another scream of terror escaped the boy's lips and the beast growled again but this time it was almost as if it was laughing.

Harry started running again but before he could run ten feet, something streaked past him. It bounded forward and collided with the other werewolf, Lupin under the effects of the wolfsbane potion was grappling, bitting and scratching as much of the other wolf, who Harry assumed was Greyback, as he could reach. Less than a minute later Tonks had panted up to Harry and stopped to watch the two beasts battle. "What happened Harry?" she ejaculated between gasps.

"Dementors...loads of them... attacked the carriages" Harry said only just realizing that he too was gasping for breath. "She... she's here."

"Who?" Tonks asked her breath coming slightly easier now but Harry was saved asking the question because at that moment Bellatrix yelled from the darkness "Avada Kedavra" the spell missed the two battling wolfs and hit a mercifully empty carriage which burst into flames.

Harry suddenly saw the same burning rage light in Tonks' eyes that he was feeling at that moment, she turned to him and said, "There's nothing we can do for Remus now, Lets get her!" Harry nodded and together they ran flat out at the woman who had killed Harry's godfather, Tonks' cousin.

"Avader Kedavera" Bellatrix yelled again pointing her wand at the pair of wolfs,

"You really think you can kill a werewolf with that, don't make me laugh" Tonks shouted as they were running, Bellatrix turned and raised her wand again but before she could do anything Harry pointed his own wand at her and thought Levicorpus. Bellatrix was yanked into the air by her ankle and dangled there, she tried to brandish her wand but it flew out of her hand and hit the ground under her when Tonks pointed her wand at the hanging from, presumably non-verbify disarming her. Harry then said almost lazily "Accio wand" and the thin wand flew from the grass straight into his hand. Bellatrix snarled but harry turned to Tonks and feigned a conversational voice,

"What do you think we should do with this Tonks"

"It looks useless might as well just break it, that was a nice bit of spell work there by the way, who taught you that one?" Harry felt sick when he remembered where he had learned the spell and it was perhaps why he didn't at notice Bellatrix perform a complected wave of her hand. Her wand zoomed off Harry's open palm and back to her hand.

Within a second she had managed to not only get herself down but summon a shield charm just in time to deflect Tonks' stunner. Harry yelled "Stupify" but had it sent back at his face when Bellatrix defected it with another shield charm. Tonks sent a brilliant white light, like a flare, over Bellatrix's head which exploded and showered her in what looked like lots of small individual white flames. Belatrix yelled in pain and waved her wand at herself and transformed them into large white spiders which scuttled away and ran towards Harry and Tonks, she then yelled "Crucio" and aimed her wand at Harry. Automatically Harry yelled "Protego" before remembering that the shield charm was not strong enough to deflect unforgivable curses.

Harry was hit in the chest and fell to his knees just as the white spiders reached him. Every inch of his skin was burning with pain so Harry did not feel the spiders climb onto his legs and up onto his neck nor did he notice them sinking their short fangs into his flesh, but he did notice when a feeling of great lethergy crept over him and still screaming in pain he fell unconscious.

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A/N I'd just like to point out I didn't plan for a lot of this to happen. Originally there was no chubby boy, Tonks didn't show up and harry won the duel but the characters just took over.

Bow to death Harry...Severus Please...Did you love him baby potter...kill the spare...no, not harry I'll do anything...DON'T CALL ME A COWARD! How many of you got all those quotes?

1GoF voldermort 2HBP dumbeldore 3OotP bellatrix 4GoF voldermort 5pre books Lily 6HBP snape

Ok looks like I'm eating my words because I am going have posted this when there has only been 1 review and that's from a friend of mine but I posted any way.


	3. A week in Llewwellyn

Chapter three A week in Llewwellyn

Harry woke slowly and found himself in a room he recognized, panelled oak walls and a cluster of crystal bubbles in the centre of the roof told him he was in St Mungo's, the portrait of Urqyhart Rackharrow on the wall told him he was in the 'dangerous' Dai Llewwllyn ward. He sat there for a moment wondering why he was in a ward for serious bites when it was the Cruciatus curse that had knocked him out, it was only when he rubbed his neck and touched some incredibly painful pin pricks that he remembered the white spiders crawling all over him.

Harry put his arm out and groped for his glasses, when he found them he sat up and looked at the room in more detail and saw Ginny sitting in a chair by his bedside asleep. Harry checked his watch, it was four o'clock in the morning, Harry felt selfish for doing it but his loneliness and desire for information drove him to wake Ginny. She stirred slowly as Harry touched her long red hair but as soon as she saw Harry sitting up she was wide awake.

"Oh Harry your ok, we've all been so worried, you didn't wake up for so long that the healers were starting to wonder if those spiders had put you into a coma or something."

"How long have I been unconscious?" Harry asked dreading the answer

"Fifteen days, oh I promised mum I'd send her an owl as soon as you woke up"

"Don't go just yet!" Harry said alarmed that she would leave him even for a short time and inwardly marvelling that fifteen days had gone by since the battle at the school gates.

"Don't worry I wont have to" she said holding out her arm and making a chirping noise. Harry looked around to see Hedwig on the window sill, she fluttered down onto Ginny's arm and tried to nibble Harry's ear but Ginny pushed her away

"What did you do that for?" Harry asked indigently. For an answer Ginny picked up a mirror and handed it to Harry by the dim light that the bubbles were giving off Harry saw that not only his neck but his lower jaw, nose and ears were covered in bright red spots where he had been bitten. Harry gaped at his own reflection.

"Don't they hurt a lot Harry?" Ginny asked worriedly

"They look nasty but I can barely feel them, maybe there was a numbing agent in the venom" Harry suggested. Ginny finished tying a pre-written note to Hedwig's leg and lifted her arm up as if to tell the bird to fly. Hedwig however merely tried to nibble Harry's ear again and looked reproachful when Ginny pushed her away.

"I'm sorry but my ears are hurt, please take the note" Harry said to the bird, she looked for a moment at Harry before taking off, hitting Ginny in the back of the head as she left. Harry laughed and said "I don't think Hedwig likes you" Ginny looked annoyed at him and Harry remembered breaking up with her. He sought around for a subject that didn't involve either of them. These were plentiful as Harry wanted to know so much about what had happened after he had been knocked unconscious.

"What happened to Bellatrix?"

"They got her, according to Tonks, Moody arrived just after you were knocked out and stunned her from behind, she was back in Azkaban the next morning. "

"What happened to Lupin and the little boy that the werewolf attacked"

"Lupin's fine, Greyback ran for it as soon as he saw Bellatrix was captured and the boy's in shock, well who wouldn't be if they had had werewolf attack them."

"Was anyone hurt by the dementors?"

"Lots of people fainted, like me but know one got kissed, thanks to you according to Ron and Hermione" Harry blushed and quickly said

"They helped to, so did Cho, a lot of people would have been kissed if it weren't for them."

"According to Ron, you saved my life though." Harry blushed much deeper now

"Well ummm... I suppose I did," then deciding that Hermione was right he went on "Ginny, I'm sorry about splitting up with you, but it honestly was to protect you, there's some things about me you don't know, you remember when we were in the hall of prophecy and Malfoy wanted that glass ball, well that was the ministry's record of a prophecy made about Voldermort and me. Basically what it said was that either I have to kill him or he will kill me there's no other way Voldermort makes it true by believing it to be true." He had been staring fixedly at his bed covers while making this little speech and only looked up when he had finished, what he saw was Ginny crying and looking at him with respect and admiration blazing in her eyes.

"Oh Harry, Harry... you ... your so brave" and before he could say anything she kissed him, Harry was enjoying the kiss until she touched the tip of his tongue with her's and he felt burning pain fill his mouth. He pulled away from her trying not to scream out and wake any other occupants of the room but it was a difficult job, he spat onto his bedspread and saw that there was a faint green substance mixed with the saliva and blood and then it started to burn the cloth that covered his blanket. Ginny grabbed a vase from his bed side table and poured it over the acid like substance.

"If that's what it dose to cloth I don't want to know what it's doing to the inside of your face" Ginny said worriedly

"I'd rather not think about it too actually" Harry said looking at the small hole in his sheets

Ginny stared at it to for a while then said in a small voice

"Well if you do have to kill... him, then I'm coming with you, Merlin knows, you need all the help you can get"

"I wish it were that simple Ginny, but it's not a matter of just hitting him with one Avada Kedavra he's got six... Horcruxes, they are objects that he stored pieces of his soul in so that if his body was destroyed the soul would not be able to go on to the next life because it is tied to the earth by the other piece or in Voldermort's case pieces, so I have to destroy them before I can kill him.

"Well why wouldn't I be able to help with that then?"

"Because... because I honestly don't think you'd want to, you know how powerful his horcruxes are, the diary was one" Ginny looked shocked, but her expression slowly changed to determination "Well that makes it much easier, only five to find now."

"Four, Dumbledore found and destroyed one about this time last year, that's what damaged his hand like that"

"Harry there's nothing you can say to change my mind I'm coming with you and that final"

Harry was about to argue when the doors burst open and Mr and Mrs Weasley, Ron, Fred, George, Bill, Hermione, Lupin and Tonks walked in. By the light pouring out of the open doors Harry saw that he was in fact alone in the ward.

"HARRY!" yelled Mrs Weasley wildly running up the ward to his bed and grabbing him in a hug that would rival Hagrid's. Harry yelled in pain and Mrs Weasley jumped back alarmed

"Oh my dear, I'm so sorry dose it hurt a lot"

"Only when people touch it, and it lets out some green stuff that can burn though cloth or at least the bite on my tongue did, Gin, err I umm bit my tongue" it became evident after a few seconds though that there would not be any acid secreting from the bites on his neck and face.

Attracted no doubt by Harry's scream a wizard wearing a long set of lime green robes with the crossed wand and bone design on the front walked though the doors. Mr Weasley stepped forward, "Ah Hippocrates Smethwyck, you might remember me Arthur Weasley, in here Christmas before last, nasty snake bite"

"Aye, I remember you, don't reckon I'll be forgetting you for some time to come, longest patient I ever 'ad in me ward." there was a pause "Though this young fella might be end up giving your record at least a bit o' nerves, never seen 'nuffin like it," he turned to Harry "I heard you yell a moment ago what happened?"

Mrs Weasley answered for him "I... um... touched some of the bites on his neck and that hurt him"

"I see, 'nything apart from pain"

"Not this time, no, but before I bit my tongue and a bit of green acid stuff came out, I spat in on my bed and it burned it" he said showing the healer the mark on his sheets.

"Well, I wont pretend that's not unusual, wonder what could be causing this?" there was a pause before he went on "I might need to get a sample of this poison or acid or what ever it is to do some checks on"

"Ummm, ok" Harry said and he bit down as gently as he could on his tongue and though his mouth burned with pain he did not feel the instant desire to spit out as he had before, "Hang on" he said and this time bit down harder, he had to screw up his eyes because of the pain but still no desire to spit "It's not working" Harry said deliberately not catching Ginny's eye

"Well maybe all the poison 'as been removed from that bite or the source of it 'asn't build up enough after last time so we might just have to..."

"No" Ginny said "He didn't just bite his tongue, if you need a sample then." she bent forwards and kissed Harry again and touched his tongue with her's. Again Harry felt the burning pain pulled away from Ginny and spat into the small glass vial that Smethwyck was holding out for him. Then Harry looked around, Ginny had gone pink and was avoiding everyone's eyes, Mr and Mrs Weasley were deliberately looking as though nothing had just happened Tonks winked to Harry, Lupin nudged her in the side as if to tell her off and Fred and George looked as if they were saving the joke for parties. Healer Smethwyck who looked quite unperturbed with this approach to extracting poison muttered Evenesco and the blood and saliva vanished leaving only the green liquid behind

"Well I think I should be able to find something from this. Thank you."

Now every one stood around talking for most of an hour before Ron mentioned that he'd like a cup of tea, Ginny made a joke about possibly seeing Gilderoy Lockheart again and Mrs Weasley went rather pink and said that she fancied a cup too. So Harry was left alone with Mr Weasley, Bill, Tonks and Lupin. Mr Weasley and Bill were deep in discussion about what sounded like a family of goblins that had been murdered, Lupin and Tonks sat in chairs that had been conjured by Mr Weasley earlier that morning and Lupin spoke directly to Harry for the first time that morning,

"Well, I believe congratulations are in order, from the ... wide variety of stories that the students have told me you save a lot of lives that day" Harry didn't quite know what to say to this, he was rather proud of what he had done but by the same token he didn't want to sound too full of himself but he had had this argument with Ginny and new it was one he couldn't win so he changed the subject,

"Remeus, that werewolf, Greyback I assume," he paused and Lupin nodded, "That wasn't usual werewolf behaviour was it? I mean standing on that boy and growling in his ear."

"No Harry it wasn't. It seems that Greyback has been taking the wolfsbane potion, so keeping his human mind,"

"And he still chooses to attack people?"

"Yes, rather sickening isn't it." Harry did not answer, he was thinking about what kind of sick person would knowingly attack kids that way and, Harry remembered, take pleasure in it.

After a few minutes silence Harry turned to Tonks and asked, "Tonks how did Bellatrix get her wand back when I was holding it?"

"I must admit that ones got me a bit stumped too, I didn't know there was any way of performing magic like that with out a wand, would be useful though, I'll look out for it." Now was Harry was left with just one question and really didn't want to ask it,

"Tonks ... now...umm... well recently I have dueled with two death eaters, and well both of them have... well beaten me, with Snape I was just lucky that Voldermort wants to kill me himself so he left me and... well with Bellatrix I was lucky just to have you and Moody around so what I'm saying is that..."

"You need someone to train you in higher combat" Tonks finished for him.

"Umnm yes, and well Snape said something about I would never be able to win until I learned to close my mind, so I think I might need to learn...Occlumency again."

"Hmmm combat training we can help you with, the problem with Occlumecy is that the Order lost it's two best Occlumence the night Snape betrayed us, Moody's not too bad but he's not exactly the one you want teaching you, he can get a little over exited some times... Kingsley's pretty good of cause but he doesn't get much time off, he's still in charge of the muggle prim-minister's security. I'll have a talk to some of the people in the Auror office, not that many of them get much time off, but I'm sure most would be thrilled to get the chance of teaching you, especially if it meant that you were, umm... popping into the ministry on regular occasions."

"I'm not being the minister's pin up boy! I've told Scrimgeour that twice already"

"Well then we'll just have to think a bit harder about who could do it."

The doors opened again and Mrs Weasley, George, Fred, Ron, Hermione and Ginny returned.

"Well, Harry dear we should go, we're living in Grimmauld place now so we can stay and see you as often as possible because Ginny and Ron still can't apperate," Ron scowled at the memory of his first aperition test and leaving half his eyebrow behind "So if you need anything just send us an owl and we'll be here in no time."

"Hermione and I are staying here for the moment mum" Ron said as Mrs Weasley turned to leave,

"So am I" Ginny said aggressively,

"No you're not, we need to talk to Harry in private," Ron snapped at once

"No she can stay Ron" Harry said quickly trying to stop an argument, Ginny went pink but still glared at Ron who shrugged and looked at his mother.

"All right but Hermione aparate back to Grimmauld place before you leave and someone will come back to escort you home." Ron and Ginny both scowled but before they could argue Hermione said

"Thanks Mrs Weasley" and the rest of the group marched out.

"The way she treats us, it's worse than Fleur sometimes" Ginny said angrily as she closed the double doors

"Well she's worried and she has every right to be" Hermione said as she and Ron took the seats that Tonks and Lupin had vacated, Harry propped himself up on his bed and lent against the wall and Ginny came back and sat next to him on the bed.

"So umm Harry, you've told Ginny everything have you?" Ron asked tentatively, Harry nodded and Ron continued more confidently "Well being in Mungo's certainly changes a lot doesn't it, I mean are you still going to go back to the muggles before your birthday?"

"Just because I was bitten by a few thousand spiders," Harry said and Ron squirmed at the thought "Doesn't change the fact that Dumbledore wanted me to go back, so yes I will."

"Thought you'd say that," Ron said, "And umm Godric's Hollow?"

"Look this doesn't change any of my plans it just means that I don't have to spend so long with the Dursleys"

"Good, so is Ginny coming with us?" Hermione asked, Ginny was about to answer for Harry when Ron cut across her.

"Of cause she's not, she's still underage, she wouldn't be much good to us if she couldn't use magic would she," Ginny looked as if she was about to explode at Ron, but she slowly deflated until she was left on the brink of tears.

"That doesn't matter," Harry said quickly turning to Ginny "Look I don't want you to come, it would be very dangerous, in fact I really don't want any of you to come, how would I live with myself if one of you died." Ron and Hermione looked outraged at this but before either of them could speak he went on, "But I've already been bullied into letting you two come, so Ginny can come too."

"But that doesn't change the fact that she's still underage, a nice lookout it would be if she was arrested on charges of underage magic." Hermione said her usual air of explaining something very obvious to someone quite dim.

"That doesn't matter," Harry repeated "Dumbledore told me last year that the ministry cant actually pinpoint who is doing the magic only when it's been done, that's why I got blamed when Dobby used a hover charm in my house, they thought that I was the only wizard there and assumed it was me." The look on Ron's face was priceless,

"Are you telling me that all this time I could have been using magic and the ministry would have thought it was mum or dad?" he said barely controlling his anger, Harry nodded

"All those times I could have jinxed Fred or George and I didn't because I was afraid of using being caught and expelled!" Ron yelled. Ginny was laughing at the look of indignation on her brother face.

"So that's how Fred and George invented all that stuff at home, I often wondered," This statement only helped to increase Ron's blood pressure

"They knew, all this time they knew, and they never told me, I'm going to kill them!"

The four of them spent a happy few hours talking about things that didn't really matter, all thought of Horcruxes and Occlumency forgotten before the trainee healer, A boy Harry recognised as an old Ravenclaw Quidditch player, came in and told Ron, Ginny and Hermione they had to go.

The next week was pleasant enough for Harry he had a constant stream of visitors and Healer Smethwyck said that the progress on the antidote was moving along well. The Weasleys and Hermione came almost every day, Tonks and Lupin had come twice more, both of them still unable to think of someone to train Harry in Occlumency, Hagrid had just managed to fit through the large doors and spent an hour telling Harry how it was all his, Hagrids, fault no matter how many times Harry said that he could never have seen this coming and three days before Harry's birthday Neville had come to visit having just visited his parents in the closed ward, His Grandmother watched approvingly as Neville and Harry discussed the battle and how Neville had not been able to produce a patronus but had done a good reductor curse on the back wall of the carriage so that he, Luna and the Creevy brothers had been able to escape from the dementors.

But possibly the best bit of the week was the morning after Neville's visit Hedwig landing on Harry's lap with a news paper in her beak, the front page of which read _Attempted Azkaban breakout results in two additional arrests and one death._ According to the prophet a small group of death eaters had attacked Azkaban and tried to release Bellatrix and the other death eaters but had been stoped by a large force of Aurors. There were pictures of the brother and sister death eaters who had been at hogwarts with a caption _Alecto and Amycus Battride, captured_ and another picture of the huge, blond death eater who had set fire to Hagrid's cabin with a caption _Salestan Ward, killed._ Harry grinned and read through the paper and found even better news hidden away on a page that was mostly devoted to a Weasleys Wizard Wheezes Add there was a small article that read

_After recent investigations the ministry have released with full pardon, Stan Shunpike. Stan, who was imprissoined last year on charges of Death Eater activity, was released today and had his wand returned and was payed a three hundred galleon compensation payment._

Ron, Ginny, Fred, George and Hermione came to visit that day and they were able to enjoy themselves fully without a guard or adult there because Ron and Ginny had side along aparated with Fred and George. They were just starting to play a game of exploding snap when Hippocrates Smethwyck and the trainee healer walked in both holding miniature cauldrons that were smoking slightly.

"Well I think we've done it, I 'ope this stuff works or else we'll 'ave to start again" Smethwyck said as he conjured a small cotton bud with his wand, "Now usually I'd say 'this might 'urt a bit' but I honestly think it will hurt like buggery so you might want to drink this stuff" he said pointing at the cauldron that the boy was carrying. It contained a brilliantly white potion that seemed to fill the inside of his mouth with sunlight when he drank it. The healer then dipped the cotton bud into the ugly grey-purple potion and dabbed it onto one of the bites on Harry's neck. Even with the pain reliving potion it felt like a small bomb had gone off inside his neck and he twitched involuntarily and let out a yell like a banshee. Ginny yelled too in surprise, Hermione clapped her hands to her mouth and Ron, Fred and George all winced at the sound of his yell. "Thought so" said the healer "But at least it seems to have worked, pity we're going to have to do that for each one though."

"You've got to be kidding, it'll kill me" Harry said alarmed

"Course it wont kill ya" the healer said, irritated. He dipped the bud back into the potion and Ginny slipped her hand into Harry's as a second bite was treated, this time it was Ginny who yelled in pain as Harry convulsively crushed her delicate fingers.

"Couldn't you put me to sleep with a potion or something"

"I could but I'd need a potion strong enough to put you out for a month to keep you under though this and I don't think you'd like to miss you're birthd'y now would ya."

"fine!" Harry said resignedly.

Ginny did not hold Harry's hand after this but merely stroked his arm and after six treatments Hermione ran out of the room, Ron followed and came back to report that she had just been violently sick in the corridor, once Harry's neck was finished Fred and George muttered something about needing to check on the shop. After three hours Harry was exhausted, sweaty and it was taking longer than usual for his brain to process information but it was finally finished except for the bite on his tongue, Harry flatly refused to open his mouth and Smethwyck said "Look at it this way after you've done this you'll be able to kiss the young lady again" he said with a wink

"You know I think I've met trolls with more subtly that you" Ron said which made Harry laugh and Smethwyck seized his opportunity and pushed the dripping ball into Harry's mouth. It appeared that the numbing potion had worn off now because the feeling was like having a star explode in his mouth, his vision was blurred and his ears were ringing for at least three minutes after, until he felt glass touch his lips and opened his mouth to have a potion poured down his throat. Instantly waves of tiredness flooded his brain and he fell into the irresistible sleep.

Harry woke slowly and looked blearily at the roof, there was a strip of sunlight pouring though the single window and when Harry got up and put his glasses on and looked around He saw Hermione sitting beside his bed and reading Harry's Daily Prophet. "Why don't you go back to Grimuld place, I'll be fine" Hermione started and looked over her paper,

"Oh, no Harry, I'm taking you with me, Healer Smethwyck said that you just need to see him once and then you would be free to go." Harry jumped out of bed, he couldn't wait to be rid of this place but then he realised that he was wearing a set of green pyjamas with the St Mungo's crest on the front.

"Umm do you know if I have any cloths here?"

"Yes there some of you muggle things in that box there" she said pointing at a small wooden box beside his bed, Harry changed quickly into a pair of jeans and a t shit and jumper and Hermione waived her wand at the box and it vanished then led the way out of the ward.

They found Healer Smethwyck sitting in his office reading a book on Quidditch he gave his wand a casual flick in Harry's direction and it flew around his head before stopping and letting a stream of green sparks out the tip.

"Fine you're free to go thanks." he said and sat back down at his desk and picked up his book again. Harry and Hermione walked out of the office and down the deserted corridors and out into muggle London. Hermione offered Harry her arm and after he took it she half tuned on the spot and they dissapparated.

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A/N

sorry I crapped on a bit there didn't I.

Please review if you want the next chapter. and a score for how close you thought the characters are to the books would be good too. Say... out of ten, zero if you think I must be reading a different set of books and ten if you think I am Jo writing under another name (I'm not please don't sue)

and please please review, so far there has been 27 hits and only 2 reviews for chapter 2 and I would really like some different opinions


	4. Grim Recolections

Chapter four: Grim recolections

They arrived in a dingy square that Harry recognised as Grimmauld Place, he looked around for number twelve but couldn't see it. Hermione handed him a scroll, Harry unrolled it and saw messy angular writing that Harry assumed was Moody's saying _the residence of Harry James Potter is at number twelve Grimmauld Place, London_ Harry looked up and saw numbers eleven and thirteen move sideways and the house that now belonged to him appear. Hermione walked up the stairs pulled out her wand and mutter "Expecto Patronum" and a silver otter streaked out of her wand and through the closed door. A minute later the door opened and Harry saw Mrs Weasley usher them inside.

As soon as Harry was through the door Mrs Weasley pulled him into hug,

"I heard what they had to do to, you poor boy" she pulled away from Harry and held him at arms length and said "You do look much better though, but still too thin, come into the kitchen and I'll make you some lunch, everyone else has already eaten, how about you Hermione, you haven't eaten properly since breakfast and according to Ron you didn't manage to hold that down."

"Yes thank you Mrs Weasley, I am rather hungry" Hermione said as they walked as quietly as possible out of the entrance hall and into the stone floored kitchen that Harry had last seen through the fire place and heard Kreacher muttering 'Master will not come back from the Department of Mysteries' a hot wave of anger rolled through him.

Mr Weasley and Lupin, now wearing a new set of robes, were in there talking seriously Harry heard Lupin say

"We really didn't need that Azkaban raid." Mrs Weasley coughed loudly to announce their presence and Lupin fell silent at once as Mrs Weasley walked to the long bench along the wall and started ladling pasta into two bowls, but Harry was in too bad a mood not to follow up on his curiosity,

"Why didn't we need the raid, it got rid of three dangerous Death Eaters, or that's what the Prophet said."

"The Ministry forced the Prophet to put a good spin on it, what they didn't say was that we lost two Aurors in the attack"

"Who?" said Hermione quickly.

"Dawlish, he was one of the best, and Madam Bones' brother Andrew"

Mrs Weasley tutted as she laid bowls of pasta in front of Harry and Hermione and said,

"The others are all up in the drawing room, we'll have dinner in about two hours, then tomorrow morning you'll go and see your aunt and uncle Harry." Harry nodded and turned back to Lupin

"But at least we're starting to get some real Death Eaters, I mean we got three then, Bellatrix before that and four when they attacked Hogwarts and about ten when they broke into the Ministry."

"But at what cost, in that time we've lost Sirius," Harry blanched hearing his godfather's name reverberate in the stone kitchen, "As fine a warrior as I ever knew, Two members of the Bones family, both extremely powerful, Dawlish, Olivander, Emiline Vance countless innocent people and Dumbledore." This sobered Harry and he finished his food silently and he left the room as he finished without even waiting for Hermione.

Harry stepped out into the entrance hall and instantly tripped over a large trolls foot, the ensuing crash caused a set of curtains on the other side of the room to fly open and instantly a terrible screaming and wailing filled the hall way. "Mutants, Freaks, Blood traitors, Scum," The portrait of Mrs Black spotted Harry disentangling himself from the umbrella stand and her yells re-doubled

"YOU, HOW DARE YOU CLAIM THIS, THE HOUSE OF THE NOBLE BLACKS AS YOUR OWN, FILTHY DESPICABLE SPAWN OF FILTH AND BLOOD TRAITORS."

Lupin rushed out into the hall but before he could do anything Harry had got to his feet , pulled his wand out of his jeans, jabbed it at the life sized portrait and yelled "Silencio," the woman continued to open her mouth wildly and gesticulate in every direction but no sound came from her portrait.

"Good idea, Harry, should have thought of that one earlier" Lupin yelled over the screams and yells coming from all the other portraits "But you shouldn't have done that, you're still under age for two more days," Harry waved his hand at Lupin to show that he really didn't give a damn and leaving Lupin to silence the other painting and walked up the long stairs flanked with house elf heads and onto the landing, every step bringing with it uncomfortable memories of Sirius. He remembered Sirius saying not long after Harry had first arrived at this house "I don't like being back here, I never thought I'd be stuck in this house again." and now Harry fully understood what he had meant and felt the exact same way.

Harry walked into the drawing room and saw Tonks, Ginny and Ron all sitting around talking Quidditch when he entered. Ginny stopped the moment he entered the room and Jumped up and ran over to Harry and threw her arms around him, Harry hugged her back and grinned over her shoulder at Ron who had also stood up,

"You're early mate; the healer said you wouldn't be awake until late tonight." Ron said grinning back Ginny let go and Tonks said,

"Wotcher Harry, how you feeling?" Harry couldn't find words harsh enough for the way he was really feeling so said,

"Fine"

"Good, well if you'd like, I could give you a training session"

"Yeah that would be great, but don't you have to work"

"I am" Tonks said brightly "I've been stationed here to guard you" Harry scowled to learn that Scrimgeour was still guarding him even though he had expressed his desires to be left alone.

Tonks waved here wand and the writing desk sawed over to the wall and crashed into it falling to pieces on the floor "Oops" she said and fixed it with another wave of her wand, "Could you two just get out of the way please, you're welcome to stay, it's just that we might need a fair bit of space and you might want to be ready with a shield charm in case a spell goes off target."

"Tonks wait, wont you get in trouble for this, Harry's still underage" Ginny said

"Well the Ministry won't ever find out will they? And if they do" she waved her wand and a small card appeared in her hand, she passed it to Harry, "Then you were having an official Ministry training session, any ones aloud to have one, so long as it with a grade three Ministry representative." Harry looked at the card,

_Ministry of Magic Official Training Session _

_Official in charge: Nymphadora Tonks _

_Training grade: four (Auror)_

"Right then Harry, ready to begin?"

"Just before we do, Tonks is there a way to block Avada Kedavra?" Tonks looked at him confused,

"No Harry, You're an N.E.W.T. defence student you should know that"

"Well, I think I might have found one," Harry looked around the room and saw a large blowfly buzzing around "Use it on that fly, and I'll try to save it" Tonks looked at him sceptically but raised her wand and said

"Avada Kedavra" straight away Harry raised his own wand and concentrating hard on Ginny, muttered,

"Expecto Patronum" his silver stag shot from the wand and charged across the room, it lowered its head as it drew level with the curse and threw it's great antlers sideways, just as it had on the night that Bellatrix had tried to kill him the curse vanished and the stag turned pail green, after a second Harry waved his wand and it vanished. Tonks spoke in a husky voice,

"Merlin's beard, you have Harry," She Ron and Ginny all stared at him. After a moment Tonks said "Every one need to see this!" And she ran out of the room and returned a minute later with, Lupin, Mr and Mrs Weasley, Hermione and Moody. She organised them into a row and raised her wand again, the curse shot from her wand and Harry sent out his patronus again and just as before the curse was stopped. There was another stunned silence punctuated by Tonks jumping up and down on the balls of her feet. Moody broke the silence

"Well I'll be... when did you find this out Potter?"

"The night Bellatrix attacked the carriages, she used Avada Kedavra on me and I couldn't move and my patronus, I had conjured it to get rid of the dementors, ran passed and just stopped it"

"The Ministry should be informed of this; I'll be surprised if you don't get an Order of Merlin for this Harry. I'll go and tell them that now" Mr Weasley said running forward

"You sure that's a good idea Arthur? Might be better to keep it dark from Voldemort," Mr and Mrs Weasley jumped but Ginny and Ron only twitched slightly, "That we've discovered a counter curse to his most powerful weapon" Mr Weasley looked angry,

"People will die though, when they could save themselves Alistair"

"How many people can cast a fully formed patronus Arthur, people who aren't in the Order or Ministry wizards?"

"Some people, and if that means that some people won't die, at the cost of us losing our element of surprise, then they should know" Mr Weasley retorted back angrily, Harry had never seen him this angry before his whole face had turned bright red and he was stamping his foot on every major word in his sentence. Mrs Weasley, obviously realizing that they were headed for a heated argument intervened,

"I think Harry should have some say in this, he discovered it after all."

"Well, I think that people should know but we should try to keep it from Voldemort that we know"

"Potter that's impossible" Moody barked

"I think that we should tell the Minister, but advise to only tell level three officers and above. That's Magical Law Enforcement and Aurors," Tonks said aiming the last sentence directly at Harry

"Yeah that sounds good," Harry said enthusiastically, Moody looked annoyed but Mr Weasley said,

"Well I suppose that's good enough, for the moment, I'll give the news to the Minister right away, my shifts about to start anyway." Mr Weasley left the room in a rush, Moody followed him more slowly muttering under his breath, Mrs Weasley said something about dinner and left too.

"So," Lupin said with a smile, "The boy who lived is turning into quite the defence master, its not often that a Professor learns something about his subject from a seventh year student,"

"Hmm," agreed Tonks "I was supposed to be teaching you defence but so far it's only been the other way around. So let's get on with it shall we."

"Now I know you can use all of the stock standard defensive spell, but as you would have noticed, Death Eaters are very accomplished at blocking these simple spells, on those occasions you need to have a few tricks up your sleeve, like that spell I used on Bellatrix, that one didn't work out so well, but sometimes you've gotta take a risk, so what I'll be teaching you is some of these more complicated spells. This first one's a powerful little bit magic, can be very useful in a sticky situation"

She raised her wand and drew a sideways figure eight and said "Incendiverberis" a long tongue of bottle green flame spat from her wand, but stayed attached to the end of it, now she gave her wand a violent flick, the green flames lashed like a whip in front of Harry. "Now you have a go, you wave your wand like this" she demonstrated the gesture again, "And the incantation is "Incendiverberis."

It took Harry quite along time to master this spell, he could get the long flame to emerge from his wand, but it would always either go out, or fly off towards the wall. After half an hour however Harry was able to hold the flame on his wand and was starting to learn how to use it like a whip, when though he managed to hit himself across the cheek, sending himself sprawling sideways and leaving a black mark across his cheek and nose, Tonks conjured an ordinary muggle whip and told Harry to practice with that for 'homework'.

"Ok I think we can move on now, this ones quite useful because it can't be blocked by Protego, we might need something to demonstrate on, Serpensortia" a long snake erupted from the tip of her wand and looked around angrily, holding her wand out, she spun it expertly once between her fingers and then said "Poliltrium." a wave of cold air rushed at the snake that was rearing it head, when it connected the snake was instantly covered from fangs to tail in a thick sheet of ice. "That one was invented by a student when I was at Hogwarts, it was really popular, until someone got left in a dormitory, frozen, and nearly died of hypothermia they banned it after that."

This spell took a lot less time to learn that the previous, on the first attempt his snake had it's head firmly encased in ice and by his fourth go he was able to completely cover it, Tonks was delighted with his progress and was about to start teaching him the impersonal shield charm, a spell that was similar to the normal shield charm but could be use to protect other people instead of just yourself, when Mrs Weasley's voice called up the stairs announcing dinner. After dinner Harry went straight up to his bedroom with Ron and had just realised that there was only one bed in there when Ron asked, "What are you doing in here Harry? You said you wanted to go to bed, your rooms upstairs. The master bedroom"

Harry left and continued up a large set of stairs that Harry had never been up before, it came as a bit of a shock therefore when Harry found a huge snake waiting for him at the top, it was a moment before Harry's over excited brain could realise that it was made of stone with large emeralds for eyes. Harry walked up to the closest door and pushed it open, it led into a vast library that probably covered most of the fourth floor, Harry walked among the shelves for a while, he noticed titles like

_The Stronger Side of Magic,_ G_reat Dark Wizards of Our Time,_ and O_utsmarting the Aurors_. Harry didn't bother to read any of these books, all of which would have been put in the restricted section of Hogwarts library, if that is Madam Pince decided they weren't to dangerous even for that.

When Harry had first discovered this room, he wondered why Hermione, had not been spending all her time in there, or even mentioned its existence, but now Harry knew why and didn't question her judgment at all. He left after noticing that there were a series of books called _The_ M_uggle Hunters Companion volumes 1, 2, 3 _and _4_. He then walked across the landing to the only other door on this floor; it had a small note stuck to it were Mrs Weasley had written

_Harry,_

_As owner of this house you naturally get the master bedroom.  
Unfortunately, a spell that denies everyone but the owner himself from entering has meant that we have been unable to clear Sirius' possessions away. You may wish to go through them, as they are now yours, but if not then go to sleep for tonight and we may be able to clear it out at a later date._

Harry pushed the door open and walked inside. It was clear to Harry that nobody had entered this room since Sirius died as his few possessions were scattered around the room in a mess, the draws that his robes were in were still hanging out, their contents spilling onto the floor, as if the previous occupant had got dressed in a tearing hurry and left as soon as he could, which Harry remembered Sirius had, in order to rescue Harry from the Department of Mysteries. Harry nearly threw up at the thought. Several Daily Prophets, over two years old, were scattered about on the floor and a copy of the Quibbler lay open on a very bad cartoon of Sirius standing on a pile of human bones. Harry realised that the room was filled with a disgusting smell and looked around and saw a large blood stained sack, which presumable contained Buckbeak's preferred meal of dead rats, now presumably over two years old. Unable to resist any more Harry threw up all over the bed, from a mixture of terrible memories of Sirius and the terrible smell that Harry now wondered why he hadn't noticed as soon as he walked in.

Just when Harry was straightening up wiping his mouth, Mrs Weasley and Ginny walked in the room, both gagging from the all powerful odour of decayed rats. Mrs Weasley pulled out her wand at once, and vanished the bag, but the smell hung around, so she summoned a large bowl of flowers which did nothing to overcome the smell, so instead she performed a complicated wave of her wand and sprayed perfume out of it's tip all around the room, Harry was pleased when he realised that the perfume was an imitation of Ginny's excellent perfume. Then Mrs Weasley looked around and saw the pool of sick on the bed and vanished that as well. Then she said, "Well that's better, I suppose the spell must be removed if you're in here Harry, well is there any thing else that you want done Harry dear?"

"No thank you Mrs Weasley," Harry replied.

"Well, good night then Harry. Ginny you'd better go to bed too dear." Ginny made a noise of agreement and made as if to follow her mother but as soon as Mrs Weasley was out side she closed the door, pulled out her wand and muttered "Colloportus" there was a squishy sound as the door locked.

She turned to Harry and smiled at him, but the smile slid from her face when she saw the look on his face. "What's the matter Harry?" she asked tenderly "Are you still sore from the treatment today?"

"No, not really, it's just being here, seeing this room just as Sirius left it," Harry gestured around the room at the large bed and the huge mat next to it that had presumably been Buckbeak's bed.

"I know Harry; it must be awful for you." She said as she walked forwards and folded him into her arms. Harry held her tight taking strength and determination from her warm embrace for a long time, before Ginny looked up with a grin, "Oh I forgot what the healer promised you could have once you'd been treated," she said with a smile and while Harry was still thinking about what she meant she kissed him, long and tenderly. No burning pain in his mouth this time to force him away from her so they stood locked in each others embrace for what felt like an hour, until there was a rattling at the door and Mrs Weasley's voice said "Ginny are you in there? Its defiantly time for bed now dear." Ginny went bright pink and looked around for a way of escape. Harry pulled the invisibility cloak from inside his trunk and threw it to her then pulling out his wand he thought hard _Alohomora _the lock clicked and Harry opened the door wide for Ginny to slip, invisibly, by them and said,

"Sorry Mrs Weasley, I didn't quite catch that"

"I was just wondering if Ginny was up here but it doesn't look like she is so I'll just go, Good night again Harry" Harry closed the door and heaved a sigh, he wasn't sure why Ginny didn't want Mrs Weasley to see them together when she had seen them kiss in St Mungo's but for what ever reason they had done it. It took a moment for Harry to realise what he had actually done, he had non-verbally unlocked the door. He had used a non-verbal spell! Then Harry realised how very tired he was and he got into the king sized bed, feeling not only the lump that a tall, broad figured human might leave but another indentation that felt like a dog had been sleeping there as well.

The next morning Harry woke early and was dressed and ready to leave before Ron or Hermione were even awake. After a while they both came down stairs yawning, Ron grinned when he saw Harry, "Bit keen to get to the muggles aren't you?"

"No just keen to get away from here" Harry said bluntly "This place reminds me too much about Sirius about his last miserable year alive." Ron clearly did not know what to say to this and instead said,

"So, how are we getting to, what was it called again, Privet Drive?"

"Portkey, that's easiest and safest, the ministry have allowed the order to use as many as we want" it was Moody who answered "And I'll be coming with you, I've been looking forward to meeting Dursley again" Moody said pulling out his wand and hipflask and muttering "portus" the flask glowed then went back to normal, "Right then every thing ready, don't want breakfast before you go?"

"No we'll eat at the Dursleys" Harry saw Ron who was sitting at the table look around and was sure he would have argued if Hermione hadn't given him a look that would have silenced a roaring lion.

"Ok then, Potter, Weasley, Granger come here and touch this," Moody said holding out the flask "three two..." there was a distraction in the form of Ginny who entered the kitchen saw the four people standing around the hipflask and said,

"Whats going on?" Moody dropped the flask as he turned to face her,

"We're going to visit Potter's relatives," he barked.

"Well then I'm coming too," she said rushing forwards and standing between Harry and Hermione.

"I don't remember that being part of the arrangement" Moody growled looking from Ginny to Harry.

"Change of plan I guess," Harry shrugged

"All right then" Moody said and picked up the portkey, "Every one touch it. Three, two, one"

Harry saw Mrs Weasley walk into the kitchen see Ginny standing with them but before she could say anything Harry felt the usual jerk that meant he had left Grimmauld Place.

* * *

A/N After strenuous adding (every thing from Harry leaving the kitchen after lunch to him waking up next morning was added in the second go) I feel I have made this chapter a lot better than it was originally. We've almost caught up with my back log of chapters so posting may slow a bit from now, though I am on school holidays now (finally) and will be able to do more work on this story so basically expect the unexpected. By the way I have a nice plot theory coming up in the next chapter so stay tuned folks.

Thanks to Lirael Ellimere for the latin traslation and beta reading.

Can I also ask that people **please** reveiw, and if you like it alot , advise it to your friends.


	5. Just one night

Chapter five just one night.

Harry's feet hit the ground hard but he managed to stay standing. He looked around at the perfectly cut lawns, the spotlessly clean cars and the identical square houses that made up Privet Drive. Ginny pushed herself to her feet and looked around with an air of bemusement, Ron looked around and said, "Has someone actually put a freezing charm on this place or what?" when Harry thought about it Ron was ever since he could remember Privet Drive and number four especially had always looked just as it did now.

"Well lets not just stand around out here, almost asking to be attacked" moody growled his blue eye spinning as fast as Harry had ever seen it go, then it stopped and stared at Number Four "That uncle of yours is still asleep, Potter, maybe we should wake him up" Moody said with an malevolent smile that made his scared features contort he lead the way up the garden path and before he pressed the bell he flicked his wand at it nothing happened so he pressed the bell. There was a muffled grunt from overhead and then Uncle Vernon could be heard cursing and stomping around up stairs.

Moody waited until the footsteps had moved to the stairs before pressing the bell again and Harry heard Vernon say "I'm coming! Who the ruddy hell would call at this hour?" there was the sound of a bolt being drawn back and the door opened and Harry's uncle had started to say

"Do you know what the ruddy time is? What kind of..." his voice failed when he saw Moody standing on the steps.

"Yes Dursley as a matter of fact I do," Moody pulled a watch that from his pocket and examined it "let's see its, seven-thirty in the morning time for all respectable human beings to be up and about especially on as fine a Monday as this is." He growled with another malevolent smile. There was a long pause, finally Moody broke it "The reason that I pressed that bell was so that I would be able to come in Dursley I believe that's how normal muggles operate."

"Get away from here, do not ever come back to this house again." said Uncle Vernon in a deadly whisper

"'Fraid I can't to that Dursley," Moody was not whispering like Uncle Vernon but his voice was almost raised to a shout "So maybe I'll just sit here on your nice lawn, or go and say 'hello' to some of the neighbors" there was another long pause that was ended by the creaking of the door as Uncle Vernon opened it, showing him standing there in a purple night-gown and a face that was so devoid of colour Harry was surprised that he wasn't camouflaged against the white walls.

Uncle Vernon showed Moody into the sitting room and muttered something about going to get dressed. He turned around and walked up the stairs without so much as noticing Harry, Ron, Hermione or Ginny. Harry motioned each of them into a seat and asked offered them a glass of water, Hermione and Ginny both nodded and Harry went to get them. He came back into the room carrying a tray with three glasses of water, none of the Dursleys had come down stairs yet but Harry was sure that he could hear Dudley on the upstairs landing, waiting for his parents before he came down.

Harry handed a glass to Hermione and Ginny put the tray on the small table in the middle of the room before sitting next to Ginny pulling his wand out of a pocket and twilling it between his fingers. After a while Uncle Vernon poked his head downstairs and withdrew it quickly seeing that wasn't, as he had been hoping desperately, empty. A second later there was a procession down the stairs, Uncle Vernon in the front, followed by aunt Petunia, Dudley brining up the rear. Uncle Vernon's gaze fell first to Moody, then to Harry, then to Harry's wand, then to the other three, then back to Harry's wand, where it stayed transfixed. Aunt Petunia moved quickly to the couch and sat down and began to chew her tongue, but Dudley hadn't come into the room, Moody's magical eye was fixed on the wall just to the right of the door, "you're shoelace isn't untied you great butter ball so come in here" He barked at the wall, there was a squeal and Dudley ran from the safety of the door to the relative safety of the couch next to his mother.

"Now" Moody began and Uncle Vernon's eyes snapped from the wand in Harry's hand to Moody's lopsided mouth "I know that you were supposed to see receive Harry two week's ago but circumstance beyond our control meant that he had to be in hospital for three weeks. So Dumbledore left orders before he died..."

"He's dead?" said Aunt Petunia aghast

"I'm afraid so." Moody said in a slightly gentler bark than usual, Aunt Petunia let out a little gasp of shock before moody continued "Dumbledore left orders before he died that Potter was to come back here one more time before his coming of age, as you may or may not know tomorrow is Harry's birthday so we took this last chance to fulfill the instructions left for us."

"He will be spending just one night here, and during that time you will not be able to have any visitors," Moody went on

"I beg your pardon" said Uncle Vernon in outrage "It is bad enough that you impose this boy on us now but to forbid us from receiving guests that, sir, is one step too far."

"Sit down" barked Moody as if he were talking to a twelve year old, Uncle Vernon was so shocked that he obeyed "You can invite people to you house if you want to, but you might find it hard to explain when they can't see it. At this very moment a wizard is putting a charm on this house," at this Dudley gave a squeal of terror and Uncle Vernon balled his hands into fists but didn't say anything, "So that no one will be able to find it, except people that Harry has told where it is, since the charm has been in place." At this moment something silver streaked through the window and sat next to Moody, it was a rabbit. Moody nodded and the patronus disappeared, "The charm is now in place. Test it Dursley what is your address?" Uncle Vernon looked confused and angry but none the less he opened his mouth, there was a pause for a moment while Uncle Vernon looked confused and stupid with his mouth hanging open, then he closed it and looked at his wife who looked just as confused as he did,

"I can't for the life of me remember what our address is; in fact do we have an address?"

"Yes you do, the reason that you can't remember were this house is, is because no one can, no one except Potter. Now Potter if you could just tell us where we are please, start with, the residence of the Dursley family is located at."

"The residence of the Dursley family is located at number four Privet Drive, Surrey"

"Thank you," Moody grunted "Well Potter, I'll be leaving you, I've got some business to do, but there will always be someone from the Order around, even with the charm in place, so if you ever need help just find them. I'll come to pick you up again about this time tomorrow." Moody got to his feat and clunked out of the sitting room and out the door, Harry just head the crack that meant he had dissapparated.

Uncle Vernon's face slowly started to regain some of it's colour as he turned to Harry, "What are they doing here?" he said as he jerked his head around towards Hermione, Ginny and Ron, "Dumbledosser, didn't say anything about any one else coming with you." Harry looked nervously at his friends, Ginny expression was stiff as a board, Ron's hand was deep in his pocket, no doubt holding his wand but Hermione looked quite calm,

"We're Harry's friends Mr Dursley, and we thought that we should stay with him after what has happened recently," Hermione said.

"Yeah that's right, got a problem with that do you?" Ron said trying to make himself sound brave and dangerous, Ginny snorted with laughter and Ron's defiant look changed to embarrassment as his ears went pink. Hermione fought down a laugh and turned back to Uncle Vernon,

"Anyway, we're sorry for inviting ourselves over to stay, but we couldn't reach a umm... normal post box, and we thought you'd prefer it this way to receiving an owl which could lead to embarrassing questions if you had dinner guest or anything like that." This consideration, a complete lie, nonetheless seemed to stun Uncle Vernon into silence

"Dumbledore's dead then," Aunt Petunia said quietly, "He seemed like he would just keep on living," Uncle Vernon threw her a sharp look and she went on quickly "From the one time I met him, last summer. He just felt so... powerful" There was no arguing with that so Uncle Vernon turned back to Harry, but Harry was sure that his aunt was concealing something.

"Well then, boy you can stay for one night only, and I suppose your friends can as well. But you're all to stay out of our way while you're here."

He got up and stormed out of the living room; Dudley looked panicky about having lost his father to protect him from Harry and the others and ran out of the room. Aunt Petunia stayed in her seat lost in thought.

"Come on, I'll show you my room if you like" Harry said and they all got up and were just about out of the door when Aunt Petunia said

"How did he die?" Harry looked around, confused.

"Who?" He asked

"Dumbledore" she replied in a small voice.

"He was murdered," Harry said unsure why his aunt wanted to know "By a supporter of Lord Voldemort, someone we all thought, or at least Dumbledore told us, was on our side. Why do you want to know?" Aunt Petunia was clearly in the middle of some powerful internal struggle and did not answer, Harry looked to his friends shrugged and gestured them out of the room. Harry was just about to climb the stairs when she called after him,

"Which Death Eater killed him?" Harry swung round

"Death Eater?"

"Sorry?" said Aunt Petunia confused

"You said Death Eater, but I've never told you that's what they call themselves"

"Oh ...I ...heard... your parents talking about them ages ago." she said blushing

"No you didn't, and you never heard James telling Lily about Azkaban, she was seventeen when they started going out, before that she hated him, and why would a seventeen year old witch not know about dementors. How do you know so much?" Harry was almost shouting by the time he finished. Aunt Petunia looked horror struck and eventually she started crying. Harry was shocked and had no idea what to do, Ron, Ginny and Hermione who had come back into the room were looking just as confused as he was. After a moment Harry did the only thing that he could think of, he sat down beside her and put one comforting arm around her.

"I'm sorry," Harry said, "I didn't mean to shout."

"No," Aunt Petunia sobbed, "You have every right to be angry."

"For sixteen years now, ever since you were left to us, and Dumbledore explained the magical world to Vernon and I, I've been lying to you, lying to Vernon, lying to everyone. You see, you've always believed that you are half blooded haven't you; well the truth of it is that you're not; you're a pure blood wizard. Your grandparents, my parents were both pure bloods as well, but they were squibs." Harry gaped at her, he couldn't believe it, the only time he had ever felt like this before was when Hagrid had told him he was a wizard, it was like his whole world had been transfigured into something completely different. Harry thought back to that day on the hut on the rock when Hagrid had told him he was a wizard, Aunt Petunia had been furious she had called Lily a freak but then Harry remembered _"But for my mother and father, it was Lily this and Lily that, they were proud of having a witch in the family!" _ But then Harry remembered Snape in the pensieve _"I don't need help from filthy little mudbloods like her."_

"You're lying, my mother always was insulted for being a..." Petunia cut across him

"Mudblood? Yes I know, but back then she didn't know, neither did I. We only found out when Voldemort murdered our parents, I suppose to try and flush Lily and James out of hiding, this was before they were hidden by the Fidelius Charm. They said in their will that they had both been squibs, but before Lily could tell anyone Dumbledore insisted that she went into deeper hiding so I assume the thing was driven from her mind and then of course they were killed."

"But how do you know so much about the magical world, if you were a squib too."

"Who ever said anything about me being a squib, but well, I wasn't very good at magic, I was only scarping a pass in my first three years, I always failed Transfiguration and Charms but I got good scores in History of Magic, Herbology and Astronomy, but in fourth year I did really badly no matter how hard I tried and at the end of the year I didn't pass enough exams to be allowed to continue into O.W.L. Dumbledore fought really hard to let me repeat the year, but the Ministry wouldn't allow it, they said that there were too many students seeking entrance into the school anyway so a near squib like me shouldn't be allowed to continue." There had been a wistful tone to Aunt Petunia's voice though most of this but now a note of great bitterness filled her voice when she got to the Ministry's verdict.

Harry turned to Hermione, "But the Ministry shouldn't be allowed to have decided which students should stay and which should leave, that's the Headmaster's duty, and" said Harry remembering something else "Crabbe and Goyle were allowed to re-take their fifth year"

"Well, according to _Hogwarts: A History_, at about the time that Mrs Dursley would have been at Hogwarts the Ministry was having a power struggle with Dumbledore and they were trying to force their own way onto the school, just like Fudge did, you'd have thought he'd have learned, considering that Philip Laganther, the Minister at the time was sacked quite soon after that incident." Aunt Petunia nodded morosely. Harry was suddenly recalled to his situation, his sympathy for his aunt had distracted him completely from his own situation.

Harry slumped back in the chair and thought, after a moment he said allowed, "Why didn't anyone tell me, Dumbledore, Hagrid, Fudge?"

"Like I said, it wasn't widely known, you have to go back about three generations from Lily and I before you can find anyone who actually graduated Hogwarts."

"But the way you're talking now, makes it sound like you loved Hogwarts and really liked Lily, so why do you hate her now."

"How would you feel if you were expelled from Hogwarts, unqualified, and having to watch your little sister finishing school being able to perform magic, losing almost all of your parents attention to your younger sister, wouldn't you try to forget it, wouldn't you resent any thing that reminded you about a better life that could have been." Aunt Petunia said with a return to her usual snap.

"Of course Aunt Petunia." There was a long pause "I'm sorry" Harry finished, totally forgetting the years of neglect he had suffered at her hands and truly pitying his closest relative.

"You're sorry? What for?"

"For showing you what you could have been"

"Just because of that didn't give me the right to treat you as I have over these last years." Harry had no idea what he should say to this and stayed silent for quite some time. The silence was broken by Ron's stomach complaining loudly, Hermione threw him a disgusted look and Ron's ears went slightly pink. This however proved just the change of topic he needed,

"Aunt Petunia, we didn't get time to have breakfast before we came, so um, is there something we can grab ourselves quickly?"

"Oh no, don't worry I'll make it for you, Vernon and Dudders will be wanting some to anyway" His Aunt replied chocking back a sob, she got up, wiped her eyes on the back of her hand and walked from the living room. Harry got up to follow her but then he realised that he had no desire for food at all,

"Listen why don't you three go and have breakfast, make yourselves at home, I just need to think... things," Ron looked torn between staying and talking to his best friend about this major change of events, Hermione however gave him a tug on the arm and both of them walked out. Harry fell hard back into the chair and looked up to see that Ginny was still there,

"How do you feel?" she asked concerned.

"Like I've been confunded and the spell will wear off in a moment." Ginny sat down beside him and put an arm, just as he had done to his Aunt, around his shoulder. "This is worse than being told that I'm a wizard for the first time. At least then it all added up, being able to grow my hair so quickly, turning a teachers wig blue, talking to snakes, it all made sense, sort of, when I was told I was a wizard, but this, sure Aunt Petunia kept showing odd signs of knowing a bit too much but really." He had talked himself out of things to say and just looked at Ginny, who said,

"I know, but what do you expect me to do, this is a shock to us all, but maybe we should go to breakfast, not leave Ron and Hermione alone out there." Harry nodded and they got up and walked together through the hall and into the kitchen.

Harry walked in and saw Hermione and Ron, sitting at one end of the square table, with Dudley and Uncle Vernon squashed on the opposite side, with Aunt Petunia busy buttering toast at the bench. Breakfast was silent, disturbed only by Dudley's sound of disgust when he was given an apple and a glass of fresh orange juice when Harry, Ginny, Hermione and Ron were all eating buttered toast and drinking diet cola that had been left over from Dudley's birthday party. Afterwards the four of them went up to Harry's room, two small boxes housed Harry and Ron's pyjamas and anything else Mrs Weasley thought they might need, Harry was pleased to see that next to his box there was the whip that Tonks had asked him to practice with. Ron was laughing at the fact that Harry had been set homework when they weren't even at school but Hermione cut across him, "What are you laughing at Ron, you Ginny and I have got more homework than Harry."

"What?" said both Ron and Ginny in outrage

"Well we have to learn all these spells to you know," she replied as if this was the most obvious thing in the world "If we want to help Harry that is."

"Well, oh yeah, I didn't think of it like that." Harry tuned out as Ron, Hermione and Ginny all started talking, about what he didn't care. He started absentmindedly flicking the whip and cracking it. Soon Ron produced a chess set from his little box and he and Ginny started playing, Hermione deciding not to watch stood up and pulled out her wand and started blocking Harry's stokes.

There was nothing for Harry and the others to do, Harry's right arm eventually became so sore from holding the badly weighted whip that he could not bear to continue and after Ron had beaten her four times in a row, Ginny didn't seem to keen to continue playing so they all sat around Harry's room, Hermione Ron and Ginny were talking unenthusiastically but Harry didn't catch a word of it, he was again lost in thought about his mother and aunt. After some time passed Harry got up and said, "I just need to talk to my aunt for a while" the others all looked at him, Ron was incredulous, Ginny looked confused but as always Hermione looked shrewdly at him, with out bothering to explain he left and walked downstairs.

He looked around for his aunt and saw her sitting morosely in the living room. He walked in and said quietly, "Hello, Aunt Petunia, Uncle Vernon gone to work then?" she did not look up but nodded at the carpet, "Dudley out with his gan... I mean out to tea," nod, "Good, because I was just thinking. You really miss being a witch don't you?" Aunt Petunia looked up at last but still didn't speak, "Well," Harry surged on bravely "There might be a way for you to become a witch," at this Aunt Petunia's eyes grew wide "I thought that I could at least do this for you as a way of saying... thank-you for letting me stay."

"How? Who would teach me?"

"There's a correspondence school for people like you, it's called Kwikspell." There was a light burning in his Aunt's eyes that Harry had never seen before and then Harry registered for the first time in his life that his aunt's eyes were the same shape and colour as his were, and his mothers had been.

"You really think that I could become a... a witch,"

"Of cause you could,"

"Harry, yes that would be truly wonder..." suddenly a cloud crossed her face, "No. No I couldn't, Vernon would have a heart attack if he found out he I was one as well."

"No he wouldn't, Aunt Petunia he probably had never heard of the wizarding world until you told him about it, and he only hated it because you did, I'm sure if you told him every thing he would understand and be as enthusiastic as you are." There was still a dubious look on his aunt's face so he went on, "At least tell him the truth, he deserves that doesn't he?"

"Yes, he does, and if ... if ..." Aunt Petunia seemed to not be able to find the right words,

"If he doesn't have a heart attack then yes I will arrange for a Kwikspell course to be sent to you." His Aunt beamed at him, showing the first true smile that she had ever bestowed upon him.

Harry walked back up the stairs to find Ginny sitting bemused watching Hermione being soundly beaten at chess by Ron, who had only lost four pieces where Hermione had lost ten. When he walked in Ginny turned to him and said, "What was that about Harry?"

"I think, I just made peace with my aunt," everyone stared at him as a one of Ron's pawns was violently scuffling with Hermione's last bishop. It was Hermione who spoke first,

"How?"

"I offered to enlist her to Kwikspell, you know that thing I found Filch reading"

"Good idea, so it worked then"

"I think so, watch out Ron, Hermione's last pawn is making its move on your knight." Ron and Hermione were both engrossed in the game once more but Ginny looked up and said,

"I'm bored; I wish we could just go outside"

"Yeah, me too, how about I show you where you're sleeping tonight."

"What you mean, I'm not sleeping in the same bed as you" Ginny laughed with a faint sound of disappointment.

Harry and Ginny left Ron and Hermione to finish their game and walked to the end of the corridor. Harry pushed open the door to the spare room, which was much larger than Harry's own room, and showed Ginny inside. Once inside Ginny sat down on the large bed and moved to open one of the two boxes that had appeared there, this one was clearly Hermione's as it contained several large books. Ginny closed it and moved over so that she was sitting in front of her own box, she looked slightly nervous, Harry couldn't think why until he remembered the look on Mrs Weasley face when she had seen Ginny touching the Portkey.

Ginny took a deep breath before opening the box, instantly Mrs Weasley's voice echoed from within, "Ginny Weasley, what were you thinking..." Ginny slammed the lid closed and held it down, a moment later Ron and Hermione ran into the room,

"What's going on?" Hermione said quickly

"Blimey I could have sworn that was mum's voice I just heard." Ron added

"It was" Ginny groaned and placed her other arm on the lid of the box

"Gin what are you doing?" Her brother asked but before she could reply the box's lid flew open and Ginny was thrown back onto the bed

"Were you planing to tell your father or I that you were going, or just letting us worry ourselves sick. I don't suppose you stopped to think that there might have been work for you to do for the wedding before you went off to enjoy yourself." The voice was not as harsh as it had been when Harry had heard it from the howler that Mrs Weasley had sent Ron but it was defiantly not whispering.

Ginny sat up, "There was no reason for that, now was there? It's not as if I did something dreadful like steal the car," Ron glowered at her when she said this "Work to be done for the wedding? I mean really what does she need me for?" Ginny's rant went on like this for some time and to Harry's annoyance Ron and Hermione sat down with them killing any hope Harry had had for having some more time alone with Ginny. After Ginny had fumed herself into silence Hermione opened her box and pulled from it six or seven large books, Ron goggled at her,

"Hermione you do realise we're only here for one night?" he said incredulously.

"Yes I do Ron, but I like to have a choice of things to read and I thought that Harry or even you might want to read one." Before Ron could snap back Harry said,

"Yeah, I'd like to read one Hermione," She beamed at him and passed him a copy of _Auror Grade Defence _which Harry opened and started looking at the long list of spells in the index "I bought it in Diagon Alley while you were in hospital" she said as Harry turned to page fifty-nine entitled _The Shield Breaker Charm. _Harry watched the little picture of a man draw back his wand so that it was touching his shoulder blade then bring it forward in one quick movement. Harry and Hermione spent the rest of the afternoon reading the books, occasionally speaking when they found a spell they thought they should learn, while Ron told Ginny all he could remember about this years apparition classes.

Harry had just found a spell that caused plants to grow though the ground and entrap the enemy's feat when there was a tentative knock on the door, Hermione, being currently engrossed in _Spells and Charms to Thwart the Dark Arts, _opened it casually with her wand, Dudley was reviled on the other side, he looked truly terrified, not helped by the fact that the door had just opened and no-one was standing up to open it. He opened his mouth and stood there, apparently unable to speak after a minute Harry said, "Spit it out then," and Ron added,

"Hmmm, I'm sure I know a spell to makes people articulate again." he pulled out his wand and pointed it vaguely at Dudley who made an odd squeaking noise and said in a rush,

"Mum says dinner's ready, if you want it."

"Thanks 'Big D'" Harry said as he got up, Ron, Hermione and Ginny did so too, Ron was last out of the door, Dudley eyed the wand in his hand,

"You better not use that thing while your here, I happen to be a boxing champion and if you start anything like that I'll.." Dudley left off the end of the sentence but raised a fist that was the approximate size half brick,

"Really piggy?" Ron said, he jabbed his wand over his shoulder and said "Colloportus" there was the familiar squelching sound and Dudley jumped so badly that the floor shook slightly, then he tore off one hand over his mouth the other over his bottom. Ron laughed hard and Harry couldn't help join in. Hermione looked stern though

"You really shouldn't do that you know, it's breaking the international statute of secrecy."

"Oh that old things a stupid waste of time, I mean that little porker already knows about our world doesn't he, so why can't I do a simple spell in front of him. It's like you doing magic in front of your parents." By now they had reached the stairs and Harry led the way down and into the dinning room and the rest of the conversation was cut off.

Dudley and Uncle Vernon were seated at the large dinning table as far as they could be from the entrance, Harry offered seats quite close to door to Hermione, Ginny and Ron and then took a seat between Ginny and a gap that was probably going to be occupied by his aunt. There was a tense minute while everyone sat around not talking until Aunt Petunia entered, bearing a large tray bearing seven plates, she handed them out, Harry watched Dudley's greedy eyes fix on Harry's large piece of chicken, then glance down at his own piece that was almost only half the size.

They ate in silence for quite some time, but judging by Uncle Vernon only slightly purple faced Harry guessed that Aunt Petunia hadn't passed on her information. "Uncle Vernon, I think that Petunia has something to tell you." His aunt went white and Uncle Vernon looked at her then slowly turned purple,

"You better not be threatening my wife, boy, because if you are..."

"Oh no, he's not" Aunt Petunia cut in swiftly "I do have something I've been wanting to talk to you about for... quite some time. You see, when we were married," Aunt Petunia seamed to be taking far too many breaths in between her words, "I told you that, my sister, was, unusual, you pried a bit, wanting to know more about my family and past, and I told you she was a witch. Then I explained all about the other world that exists away from most of our eyes, well you always assumed that I was quite normal, unlike my sister. I suppose I never said I was but the truth of it is that, for some time I went to the same school as she did, as Harry does." Uncle Vernon's face was going slowly purpler, but it was not anger that controlled his face but pure fear, "I went to ... to Hogwarts for four years, but I wasn't allowed to continue. But I might be able to study... magic by correspondence." It looked for a moment as though Uncle Vernon would have a heart attack, he looked at his son, whose jaw was hanging then back at his wife, he appeared to have totally forgotten that there were four teenage wizards in the room.

"Pet...Petunia...Petunia," he gasped slowly, but then in an instant he "No, No I wont take it, if you want to be... one of them... then I wont living in the same house as you. Dudley come on, were going, right now." He got to his feet and pulled Dudley to his feet and headed for the door, Aunt Petunia looked shocked beyond belief. When they reached the door, suddenly Dudley pulled his arm out of his fathers grasp.

"Dudley what are you doing, listen to me, we're going."

"No we're not." Dudley replied aggressively

"I beg your pardon, who are you to contradict me, I work myself to the point of death to afford to send you to Smeltings, I got you the position on the boxing team. So you will listen to me now. We're going." Uncle Vernon spat, while he was talking he had been grabbing hold of Dudley's muscular upper arm before having it ripped away from him

"NO WE'RE NOT" Dudley roared, and pulling his arm out of his fathers grip one more time he swung it around and hit his father hard across the face. Uncle Vernon fell back, hit his head hard on the door handle then slumped down and lay at the base of the door.

Aunt Petunia gasped, Dudley looked stunned at what his massive fists had done, and Ron was watching Dudley with new found respect. Aunt Petunia sat stunned by both her husband's reaction and her son's actions, but then she got up and swooped over to the prone from of Uncle Vernon and examined him. Hermione followed slowly, after a second Aunt Petunia moved away from Uncle Vernon and said, "He's OK, just a lump on his head and probably bruised jaw." Hermione tentatively raised her wand and looked at Aunt Petunia, presumably waiting for permission to awaken Uncle Vernon by magic, Aunt Petunia nodded gravely, but Dudley jumped between Hermione and his father,

"No, he wouldn't like it. I won't let you."  
"Don't be thick Dudley, he'll be out for hours," Harry told his cousin.

"We'll take him to the hospital then,"

"If you take him to hospital, they'll ask questions, the answers to which will get you in trouble." Dudley's never exactly brilliant brain had run out of arguments so he fell silent and stepped aside. Hermione flicked her wand and a small blue light emerged from it and hit Uncle Vernon in the middle of his forehead he blinked slowly then seeing Hermione standing over him holding a wand he yelled and grabbed at her wrist. Hermione gasped in pain and Ron bellowed in furry, he raised his own wand and said

"Incarcerous," Instantly Uncle Vernon was bound so tightly that he could barely move. His face had surpassed all previous records of colour and he appeared to be trying to draw in enough air to yell at the top of his voice. Ron had clearly noticed this too as he jabbed his wand at the bound man and said "Silencio." Harry would not have thought it possible that his uncle's face could go any more purple, but he managed it, making it look like Ron's spell had been for colour change instead of silencing. Hermione threw Uncle Vernon a look of venom them walked over to Ron, who still had his wand raised, and laid a calming hand on his shoulder, he lowered the wand slowly, but did not return it to his pocket.

"Right, now I don't think Aunt Petunia had quite finished, you will hear her out, then if you still want to leave then that's fine, but I think Dudley has made it plain that he doesn't plan on coming with you. So would you like the silencing charm lifted, or do you think you could listen better this way." Uncle Vernon merely glared at Harry in response, "That's alright, it will wear off, in about three months, oh and I think you'll find those ropes won't be cut when you try to remove them with a muggle knife. So I'll give you one more opportunity to allow my friends to remove the charm," The colour in Uncle Vernon's face was slowly receding and eventually he nodded, rather stiffly due to the tight cords around his neck. Harry looked to Hermione who raised her wand and waved it, the ropes snapped and Uncle Vernon got slowly to his feet.

"I think we should leave them to discuss it by themselves" Hermione whispered to Harry, who nodded fervently,

"But lock the door so that he has to wait for us before he can leave," he whispered back. She nodded too so Harry spoke up, "OK we're going to go up stairs now, and let you talk this though without us, my friend is going to lock the door, by magic, so that you have to hear each other out, once you've finished arguing then you can come and get us and we'll unlock the door."

The four of them returned upstairs and sat in the girls room, talking and reading for most of an hour before Dudley returned and knocked on the door, Ginny got up and opened it this time,

"Mum says you can unlock the door now, they've finished arguing. Dad's going to stay and learn to accept mum for what she is." Ron got up and said,

"I'll do it; I need to...umm apologize for what I did." He got up and left, Harry returned to his book but was rather surprised when Dudley walked into the room and took Ron's vacated seat.

"So, my mum's a witch," he said with some hesitation, "What...umm, dose that mean I'm a..."  
"Wizard? No. It means you're a squib, that means that at least one of your parents had magical powers but you don't, it's not really that surprising, you have a side that's full muggle and a side that's hasn't had a proper wizard or witch for generations now, except for my mother. Petunia's really lucky to have the gift at all." Dudley nodded and moved to get out of his seat, but Harry spoke again, "Dudley, what you did was right, sticking up for your mum like that." Dudley nodded again and walked to the door, then turned and said,

"Thank you Harry, for doing whatever you did for my mum, she seems a lot happier now." then he smiled and walked out.

"Well, I seemed to have reconciled with my family, something I never thought would ha said as he looked around to Ginny and Hermione both of whom were smiling at him,

"That's wonderful Harry; it must be nice to know that what ever happens you will actually have relatives that care about you." Hermione said

"Yeah, yeah it is nice, now I don't feel quite so jealous Ginny and Ron," Ginny goggled at him,

"Jealous of me? Why would you be jealous of me?"

"Oh come on Gin, how could I not be, you have a huge family, all of whom would love you and protect you no matter what, whereas for the past sixteen years I've had no-one who would have lifted an eyebrow if I was killed." Ginny rose from her chair and rushed over to Harry and sat in his lap and threw her arms around him.

"Oh Harry, you've had us, and the rest of my family, and all of the DA, well maybe not Smith but anyway Harry you've had loads of people." Harry couldn't help smiling

"But before Hogwarts there really was no-one, Dudley made sure of that." Ginny seemed to have no response to this so she just hugged herself closer to Harry laying her head on his chest. They sat like this for some time, with Hermione buried in _The Power of Light: Spell and Counter-Spells to Fight the Worst of Wizard Kind _until Ron returned,

"You know Harry, I don't know what you complained about, those muggles aren't all that bad, sure you're uncle's a bit of a jerk but apart from that they're OK."

Harry couldn't muster the strength to argue back and instead said, "I think it is time to sleep," but then a problem occurred to him, "We only have two beds." Hermione spoke before he could finish,

"Don't worry about that I can conjure some nice beds for Ron and me"

"What would I do without you Hermione?" Harry asked as she got up and pulled her wand from her pocket she waved it and a large bed appeared from nowhere, they walked slowly down the hall and into Harry's room where she produced an identical bed, then after saying good night she and Ginny went back to the guest room. Harry and Ron changed into the Pyjamas that they found in their boxes and got into bed. Ron fell asleep quickly, but Harry, though he was quite tired having woken up so early that morning, lay awake thinking about his mother, the pure-blood witch who had always thought that she was a muggle born. Eventually, with images and thoughts of his mother still filling his head, Harry fell into sleep.

The next morning Harry was woken as if he had been electrocuted, he looked around, groping for both his wand and his glasses, he tried to sit up something was pinning him down, Harry was begging to panic now, until a light switched on and Harry realised that what was sitting on him was not an attacker or some dark creature but Ginny, "So how does it feel to come of age?"

"Like I've got an extremely over excited girl sitting on my chest, slowly breaking my ribs" Harry said as he found his glasses and put them on. Ginny was slowly getting off his chest, Ron, whose conjured bed had gone, was sitting in Harry's desk chair and Hermione was leaning against the wall beside the door. "You three had me seriously worried then, I thought we were being attacked or something."

"Sorry mate, we didn't mean to give you a heat attack or anything. Anyway happy birthday!"

"Happy birthday!" Hermione echoed

"You better get dressed mate, Moody'll be here in a moment" Ron said. Harry got up and rummaged around in the small box that had been sent by Mrs Weasley, and pulled some cloths on; Harry noticed that Mrs Weasley had sent his best clothes. After Harry had put his Pyjamas into the box Hermione waved her wand and the box, which now also contained everything of Harry's that he had left in the room instead of taking to Hogwarts, vanished.

They walked downstairs just as the front door bell rang; Uncle Vernon again went to get it and returned with Mad Eye Moody in tow,

"No trouble?" Moody barked as soon as he entered.

"Nothing out of the ordinary" Harry replied.

"Good, everything ready to go? Sent all your things to the Burrow?"

"Yes" Hermione said.

"Good, well let's not waste time. Molly said that breakfast would be ready for you when you get there so there's no need to eat here." Harry turned to the Dursleys and said,

"Well, this is goodbye then, I'm of age now so I don't need to come back next summer."

"No," said Aunt Petunia quietly, "But you will come and visit again wont you Harry?"

"Yes, I think I will" then Dudley stepped forward and held out his hand, Harry shook it, feeling as if the massive fist would crush his figures, Uncle Vernon merely nodded, Harry returned the nod and turned and with Moody, Hermione Ron and Ginny in front of him he left number four Privet Drive for the last time for Harry didn't know how long.

He saw Professor Flitwick out the front performing several complicated waves of his wand, presumably removing the Fidelius Charm, Harry smiled as he remembered the rabbit patronus that had come through the window the day before. Then he turned to face Moody, who was holding a glowing hip flask which quickly returned to normal.

"Ok touch it again. Three. Two. One" Harry felt the familiar jerk in the region of his navel and then he was moving very fast, slamming into Ron and Ginny. His feet hit soft grass and he fell to the ground in the front lawn of the Burrow.

Before Harry could look up there was a blast of noise so loud that Harry was sure it had ruffled his hair.

* * *

A/N

I finally finished that chapter; damn it took me a long time. No wonder considering it is twice the length of all the others. Ok the usual now kneels down and begs please please **please**review. To all you people who would like to review anonymously you now can, I assumed that anonymous reviews would have been allowed as default but I was wrong.

There will be a small problem with my posting ability now. My brother gave me an early Christmas present. A puppy! But unfortunatly that means that I'm going to have to spend more time at home, where I don't have Internet connection and will only be able to post very occasionally. Which sucks. Do not despair however faithful readers this means that I will be less distracted by talking to my friends on MSN so I will be able to wright more and I will find a way of posting.


	6. Surrounded by Well Wishers

Chapter six Surrounded by Well Wishers

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY" came the roars of what sounded like fifty people, Harry looked up, and saw not only every Weasley member, with the obvious exception of Percy, but Fleur, Fleur's sister, Gabrielle, what looked like the rest of her family, Tonks, Lupin, Kingsley Shacklebolt, Dedalus Diggle, Sturgis Podmore, Hestia Jones, Neville and his grandmother, Luna and an eccentric looking man who could only have been her father, Susan Bones, Colin and Denis Creevey, Oliver Wood, Katie Bell, Alicia Spinnet, Angelina Johnson, Demelza Robins, Jimmy Peakes, Ritchie Coote, Professors, McGonagall, Slughorn and (to Harry's slight surprise) Trelawney and last, towering over the heads of everyone Hagrid. Harry stood completely shocked. His staring was stopped when he hear Ron laugh at the look on his face,

"Don't worry mate, it's not all just for you this is kind of my birthday party too, after all I didn't exactly have the best time."

After the shock wore off Harry started walking around with the intent of talking to all the people who had come, it came as another shock when Harry realised that most of these people had brought him presents. Lupin called Harry over once people had started to mingle,

"Well, happy birthday Harry." Lupin said with a smile, "It's usually left to parents and godparents to give important presents when a wizard comes of age, but in this case, Molly, Arthur and I have gladly filled the breach." he continued passing Harry a small cylindrical package, Harry opened it and found a thin silver rod, approximately four inches long and hollow to about half way along it. Harry examined it, engraved around the outside were a lion, a phoenix and a stag.

"What is it?" Harry asked

"It's a wand handle. Look," he said taking Harry's wand and fitting the handle into the silver tube, "But not just any wand handle, oh no, this makes you part of a very selective group, called," Lupin smiled slyly "The Marauders. Yes, Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot and Prongs, we each had one, each unique, I would have liked to get your's from Ollivander, where we got ours but obviously... here look at mine, I didn't use it when I was teaching because it may have been a bit of a give away for... my furry little problem" Harry examined the wand that Lupin had just given him, it too had a silver handle, around the top there were a series of pictures of the states of the moon, and below the full moon there was a magnificently engraved wolf. Harry handed it back to Lupin,

"But I'm not an animagus,"

"Being a marauder isn't just about being an animagus Harry, it's about... causing trouble, resisting authority and most importantly fighting the dark arts and you have shown your self more than capable of doing all these things." Harry brandished his wand with it's new handle appreciatively then Tonks came to join them, her hair was today jet black and standing up at the back, she noticed Harry and Lupin's stares

"What do you think?" she asked pointing at her hair

"I think it suits Harry better," Lupin smiled

"Ok then, I know you like this one Remus." She closed her eyes and a minute later she had waist length pure blond hair, "Anyway, Happy birthday. She said handing him a parcel, within it Harry found a book called _Master Your Own Mind: a beginners guide to Occlumency. _"We still haven't found anyone to teach you occlumency but you can make a start from that."

"Thanks Tonks, oh and thanks a lot Remus." They both smiled at him before he was whisked away by Ron, Hermione, Ginny, Fred and George.

"Happy birthday mate," the twins said as each of them hit him on the shoulder and then handed him a present, a bright green dragon skin jacket which Harry put on. Ginny was next to give him her present, along with a kiss she gave him a fantastic silver-navy cloak,

"Wow, it's great thanks Ginny."

"Looks great and useful too, it's one of Fred and George's" at this news Harry dropped the cloak quickly fearing it would strangle him if he put it on, Fred and George both feigned being offended but Ginny continued, "Not one of their joke ones, it's from their defence range, shield cloak." after hearing this Harry picked it up and looked around for somewhere to put it and Tonks' book, Hermione conjured a table and Harry gratefully put them down on it. Then he turned to Hermione who handed him a gift. She also gave him a book, called _Important Magical Objects of History. _

"Thanks Hermione,"

"I thought it might be useful, in...the future" she said guardedly, clearly not wanting to give to much away to the twins.

"Yeah, it will," Harry assured her. Then he found Ron shoving a present into his hands upon unwrapping it he found a full sized sneakoskope it started spinning and whistling at once and Harry instinctively looked around for Fred and George who he noticed had left, he spotted them in the process of putting something into a bowl of every flavour beans, Harry pulled out his wand and said "Impedimenta" the whole crowd stopped talking to look at who had been hit with the jinx then Harry heard Mrs Weasley bellowing at the twins, who unable to respond because of the jinx had to let her get up steam, according to them the one thing you shouldn't do when dealing with their mother. She stormed up to them and pulled a rapper out of Fred's hand that was rapidly regaining movement,

"How many?" she said

"Just two, Harry caught us before we could put any more in."

"Accio, accio, accio" she said and three small beans shot out of the bowl

"Damnit" Fred said as he threw Harry a betrayed look. Everyone laughed and went back to their conversation.

"Useful," Harry said to Ron who laughed even harder now.

Harry placed the sneakoskope on the table before setting off to greet some of his other friends; Harry went and found Oliver Wood, Katie Bell, Alicia Spinnet and Angelina Johnson all reminiscing about the days of Gryffindor Quidditch. When Wood saw Harry he pulled him into a tight one armed hug. "How goes the youngest seeker in a century, I hear you've taken up the captaincy now, so who's in your new teem?" Harry pointed out Demelza Robins, Jimmy Peakes, Ritchie Coote and then told him about Ron and Ginny. Angelina scowled when Harry talked about Coote and Peakes

"Where were they when I was looking for a new pair of beaters, Kirk and Sloper, oh no lets not talk about them."

"Oh just give him the present already." Alicia piped up.

"Oh yeah," said Wood, "Well, when we heard about your party we all decided to get together and buy you a present, we wanted to get you a set of your team's robes, but then no-one could remember who you supported,"

"That's because I don't follow a team, I just like to watch"

"Oh well that would explain it. Well so instead we got you this." he picked up a large leather box from the ground and handed it to Harry. Harry opened it and saw a full set of Quidditch balls.

"Thanks a lot guys" Harry said still admiring the shiny bludgers, attempting to escape their bonds.

There was a tap on Harry's shoulder that felt like someone had just dropped a brick on it, Harry turned to find himself face to face with Hagrid's jacket, he looked up and saw Hagrid beaming down at him from between his hair. "HARRY, HAPPY BIRTHDAY" he boomed and from behind his back he produced a magnificent cage and passed it to Harry, "I thought Hedwig might need a bit more room after all it was seven years ago I gave her to yeh and she's prob'bly grown a bit since then." Hargid was then drawn into conversation with Slughorn and Harry used the chance to head back to the table to unload himself of all the presents.

On the way he was accosted by Colin and Denis Creevey who trotted along beside him, asking how he was and what he had done with his holidays, they seemed perfectly thrilled by the fact that Harry had spent three weeks in St Mungo's. When Harry finally put the heavy box and the bulky cage down Colin presented him with a leather bound book, and with a small, "I hope you like it" he and his brother disappeared into the crowd. Harry opened the book and saw a picture of himself and Wood, holding the Quidditch Cup aloft, he turned the page, Harry flying above a massive black dragon, turned again, Harry wadding into the lake, again, Harry pacing in front of a sphinx, Harry teaching Susan bones to do a spell, Harry, Ron and Hermione cheering as Gryffindor won the House Cup in their second year and then on the last page, Harry sitting by the lake, Ginny in his lap playing with his hair and Ron an Hermione talking beside them. Harry remembered this it was taken the day before Dumbledore had died; he simply stared at it, wishing that he could swap places with his photographic self, and be in a time where Dumbledore was not dead. A single tear fell onto blank back cover as he thought of it.

He was roused by a large hand being placed on his shoulder; it belonged to Horace Slughorn,

"What's the matter, my dear boy, your not that drunk already are you?"

"No professor, I was just thinking about...people who should be here today."

"Ah, thinking about Dumbledore are you, don't worry I'm sure he's here in spirit. Now I had something to give you," he put his pudgy hand into his heavily embroidered pocket and pulled out a small bottle that contained a gold liquid that Harry recognised at once.

"Is that..."

"Felix Felicis, yes it is my dear boy, not that you need me to make it for you! I'm sure with talent like your's you'd be able to whip some up in a jiffy." Harry stared at the golden liquid sloshing around in the bottle; it was huge compared to the minuscule bottle Harry had won on his first day at school last year.

"But sir, there has to be... six days worth in there"

"Five Harry, only five, I suggest however you do not take it all in one go, chap I once knew did that, decided to go and steal some eggs from a dragon, took him three days to find the dragons nests even with all the luck he had, then after a night of nest raiding, well all that was ever found was his hat, on the spot were there had been a terrible dragon fight, we can only assume that the potion wore off and the dragons who he had robbed from found him and ripped him to shreds."

"Don't worry sir, I'll probably end up sharing it anyway that's what I did with the last bottle,"

"Ah, you're so like your mother Harry, generous of spirit. Ah I see Molly has refilled the mead barrel, well I must be going Harry"

Harry could now see, due to the fact that Slughorn's bulky frame was no longer blocking the way, Luna and her father in serious conversation with Kingsley Shacklebolt, Harry could not resist, he walked over to them and heard Kingsley's deep voice,

"I assure you Mr Lovegood that Mr Fudge did not keep his army of Heliopaths when he was removed from office, he never even had any Heliopaths and even if he did, which he didn't, he did not set them on that goblin family it was You-Know-Who who killed them."

"Ah but you're an Auror aren't you" the lanky man said with an understanding smile,

"Yes, but I don't see what that has to do with anything."

"I see how it is, Fudge making you lie for him, I suppose his Heliopaths are a vital part of the Rotfang conspiracy that Fudge has just taken control of, in order to remove the current vampire and get back to his place in power and continue his goblin slaughtering ways." Kingsley rolled his eyes and then spotted Harry listening to their conversation, clearly looking for any way to change the subject he said rather loudly

"Harry," and he grabbed Harry, rather forcefully, by the front of his new jacket and pulled him closer,

"Hello, Harry. Happy Birthday, I got you this." Luna held out a small rapped parcel and Harry took it, he had been rather looking forward to seeing what Luna gave him as he was sure it would be something completely ridiculous, upon opening it he found a large disk about the size of a galleon but silver and with the words _te ab incendens custodio_ engraved on it

"What is it?"

"It's an amulet. It protects against Heliopaths, you can never be too careful. What if Fudge goes insane and sets them on people."

"Oh thanks Luna," Harry said trying not to laugh at what Hermione would say if she saw it.

"Harry Potter, Glad I could finally meet you, I think a thank-you is in order, one way and another you've made the Quibbler more money that any other three interviews, because of you we were able to perform my wife's last wish." Mr Lovegood had been jovial until he mentioned his wife then he seemed to deflate and he hung his head.

"Oh, umm, glad I could help, but really Mr Lovegood..."

"Please call me Jasper"

"Oh well, Jasper it should be me thanking you, you published my story when no one else would touch it"

"Oh no dear boy it was my pleasure" It looked for a moment like they would go into a very circular argument but Kingsley taped him on the shoulder and said

"I was wondering if we might have a word in private. You don't mind do you Mr Lovegood."

"No. No. But please call me Jasper"

Kingsley steered Harry away from the Lovegoods and around to behind the table which Harry noticed that people had decided just to leave presents on rather than give them to him in person. "Oh I never thought I'd get away from him. The man's an idiot," then at the look on Harry's face he went on, "A well meaning idiot but an idiot all the same. And he loves his conspiracies, you heard the latest, he's saying that all the leaflets that the Ministry's sending out each carries an Imperious Curse so that we never vote Scrimgeour out of office." Harry snorted with laughter, "It might sound funny to you Harry but the problem is that other idiots listen to what he said and now people are going around burning all the booklets. Scrimgeour has seriously thought about just arresting him on a charge of disrupting the Ministry or something but then people would assume that he was on to something in one of his rumours and even more people would take them seriously, so there's nothing we can do."

"So Scrimgeour was thinking about arresting him for spreading lies, and you supported it, come off it Kingsley that's the dung that Fudge was pulling on me and Dumbledore." Harry said angrily

"Anyway it doesn't matter; Tonks told me you've been looking for someone to teach you occlumency... I been looking around and I think I know just the person,"

"But Tonks said she couldn't think of anyone"

"No, that's because Tonks doesn't know this person, he's an old friend of mine an Auror from Australia, one of the best they can offer. He's not being formally employed by the Ministry he's mostly here to support the Order and I'm sure he'd be delighted to teach you."

"Excellent," Harry said, completely forgetting his indignation on the part of Jasper Lovegood, "When does he arrive"

"Well, he's apparating his way around the world, so it depends, he could arrive tomorrow afternoon or he could get involved with a Russian witch and we'd never see him" Kingsley said with a smile, "But that's not likely, He'll probably be here in about three days, it's hard work, apparating half way around the world, even if you do do it in small jumps. Looks like you've got someone else wanting to talk to you Harry."

Harry looked around and saw Neville and his grandmother walking towards him, "Happy birthday,"

"You too, for yesterday. Sorry I didn't get you a present,"

"That's alright; I know you haven't been out of St Mungo's that long. I see they got rid of those bite marks," Harry saw a light in Neville's eyes that clearly showed that he would have given anything to be in Harry's place, fighting Bellatrix. "I got plenty of things anyway; I don't know where I'm going to keep them all."

"I know the feeling" Harry said pointing at the small table now mostly buried in gifts. Then Harry saw that Neville was holding out a box, Harry took it and saw that it contained a small plant with grey petals and an unusually thick stem,

"It's a sano iniuriae plant if you grind up the petals up and mix it with the liquid in the stem it can prevent the spread of curses and cure injuries, it's used in some of the most powerful curse breaking potions ever invented. It's almost as rare as mimbulus mimbletonia because it was so heavily used in the middle ages."

"Wow, thanks a lot Neville, but if it's so rare then you should keep it you're the Herbology expert after all." Neville went a little pink at Harry's complement,

"Oh no, I've already got one, my gran said that I was really starting to live up to my dad, after the battle at the ministry and the battle in the tower so she had it imported from Sweden for my birthday yesterday, I thought you'd find it useful so I'm giving you a cutting."

"Neville I know your going to grow up to be just as good as your dad one day," the slight pink tinge on Neville's cheeks turned to solid crimson at Harry's words, Neville turned almost defiantly to his grandmother.

"You are quite right Mr Potter, he's almost unrecognisable from the boy that we couldn't coax any magic out of until he was ten years old."

"Harry, there's something I kneed to ask you."

"Excuse me, Neville, Mrs Longbottom," Harry said and turned Oliver Wood beckoning to him, Harry walked over to him,

"I forgot to ask before Harry, but I'm calling in a favour," Harry thought for a moment if he did indeed owe Wood a favour, he came up blank, Wood obviously noticed this because he said, "I know you don't actually owe me anything, but well this might have it's advantages for you. Two weeks ago you may have seen in the Prophet that several high profile Quidditch players were found dead, killed by Death Eaters, well two of them were Puddlemere United players, Chris Dagge the keeper and Benjamin Mann the seeker, which means that Ryan Good, the reserve seeker, and myself have been brought forward to the team." Harry was tempted to say that it was great news but then he remembered the circumstances that had caused Wood to be called up so he stayed silent, "Unfortunately Ryan's a lousy seeker, compared to Ben he is anyway, and I was just wondering that if for a few games you might want to play as reserve seeker?" Harry could not help the wonderful

image of himself playing Quidditch in a major team, he was sorely tempted to say yes but then he realised that a public event like that would make it all to easy for a Death Eater to attack him.

"I'll think about it Oliver, send me an owl if you really need me." Wood looked slightly disappointedly as he walked away.

The party went on all day and was looking like going into the night when but Mrs Weasley called a stop to it at nine-thirty, Harry was then asked to come up on stage and perform the traditional event of shooting a large set of sparks into the air, after the red and green sparks died away the crowd burst into applause. Then he felt that it was required of him to make some kind of speech, he waited for the noise to fade and then spoke to the huge crowd,

"I suppose I should make some kind of a speech now right? Well I'd just like to thank you all for coming here today, none of you can realise how much this means to me, I think I managed to speak to all of you, if there was anyone I missed then I am deeply sorry. I'm guessing that Molly Weasley was the brains behind this little party so I'd like to thank her from the bottom of my heart, it's good to know that for the dark days ahead I have this many friend who care." More wild applause and Hagrid spurred on no doubt by the large quantities of mead he had consumed yelled

"That's my boy Harry, you tell 'em"

Then after a lot of good-byes, the guests had gone and Harry helped pack away the many tables and food, it took several trips to get the small mountain of gifts inside, even with Harry, Ron, Hermione and Mrs Weasley all taking as many as they could by magic every time, finally it was finished and Harry walked slowly up the stairs and into the room that had once belonged to Fred and George.

As he lay in bed trying to fall asleep, memories of that day kept floating through his exhausted brain, He remembered talking to Susan Bones and somehow the topic of her father Andrew coming up, she had spent the next four minutes crying into his shoulder and saying that he was the only one who understood what she was going through. He remembered the conversation with Stugis Podmore about how Dumbledore had finally persuaded the Wizengamot that he had been acting under the Imperious Curse. Eventually his musing gave way to dreams about people at the party intertwined with a locket, a cup, a snake and a mysterious item that Harry couldn't quite identify.

A/N This chapter was originally combined with the next chapter to make one super long chapter. But i decided that it worked better as two, I suppose the question is do you like this chapter length or would you like them longer, please tell me and I will attempt to wright accordingly .


	7. Ministry Security

Chapter Seven Ministry Security

When Harry went down to breakfast the next morning he found several tousle haired Weasleys already awake, Mrs Weasley was outside cleaning the rubbish from the day before, Bill was reading the Prophet and Ginny was slowly eating a left over pumpkin pasty,

"How are you Harry? How's your head?" Ginny said with a small smile.

"Not to bad actually, I didn't drink that much."

"That would explain why you pulled the shower of stars off so well," Bill said from over his paper, "You see the reason for that particular tradition is to give the guests a laugh because nine times out of ten the birthday boy burns his nose or worse when they try that. I remember Charlie did it with his wand held the wrong way, set his shoes on fire." Harry and Ginny both laughed

"I don't think Ron will be as lucky as you though," Ginny said, "He had rather a lot of mead yesterday." Sure enough ten minutes later Ron came down the stairs, scowling

"Aaah" he yawned. "Morning, I could just do with a glass of pumpkin juice right now," then he spotted the barrel on the bench "Better yet maybe a scale of the dragon that bit me might be better," he grabbed a glass from a cupboard and was just about to pure himself a glass of mead when Mrs Weasley came back inside,

"Oh no you don't Ronald Weasley," she snapped "You've got your apparition test today." Ron turned pale green and gulped, Harry had to admit he was rather nervous too but he had the major advantage of knowing that he had already travelled a long distance by apparating and what's more he had done it with Dumbledore side-along him which apparently made it quite a bit harder.

Not long after that Mr Weasley came downstairs dressed ready for work, "Morning Harry, Ron, you two nearly ready to go?" Ron muttered something about needing to get changed and Harry thought he should to, he went back upstairs and found in his room, a large trunk with seven locks and handles, he hadn't noticed that when he got up. A set of keys on a ring on the bedside cabinet and a note.

_Harry, this is Arthur's and My present for you, you will also find some other things in here we got you. I organized all you possessions in here last night. If you have any questions don't hesitate to ask me,_

_Molly._

Harry had seen a trunk like this that belonged to Moody, and had ended up being used as a prison in which Crouch Jr had kept him in, Harry had a definite hope that this one would not come to the same use. He grabbed the keys and fitted the first one into the lock on the farthest left and opened the trunk and looked inside, there neatly packed were all Harry's clothes as well as several sets of new robes that he presumed had been given to him by Mrs Weasley, Harry picked out a set of pale green robes and put them on, then he saw the shield cloak, though Harry was not faintly cold he decided that he should wear this too, he threw it over his back and did up the clip under his chin. After pulling on a pair of socks and his trainers Harry rummaged around for his invisibility cloak, but could not find it, he closed the lid and put the second key in the second lock, this time he found all his spell books from _The Standard Book of Spells: Grade 1 _to _Confronting the Faceless _Plus the photo albums he had been given by Hagrid and Colin as well as all the other books he had been given He moved onto the third where he found his Firebolt and the set of Quidditch Balls he had been given, in the fourth was his cauldron and potion making equipment. The fifth and sixth were empty and in the seventh he found what he was looking for, along with his sneakoskope and a grubby piece of paper he was very grateful Mrs Weasley hadn't thrown out.

When he returned he found Ron looking like he usually did before a Quidditch match and Hermione sitting next to him, trying to comfort him. Harry sat down on Ron's other side and instantly had a large stack of buttered toast put in front of him, he gave Mrs Weasley what he hoped was a grateful smile and slowly started eating. When he finished his third piece Mr Weasley stood up and said. "Ok boys, it really is time to go now." He walked to the fire and took a small handful of Floo Powder, Harry followed suit, but it took quite a bit of persuading from Mrs Weasley and Hermione before Ron did as well.

Mr Weasley threw his handful of powder onto the flame and walked in shouted "Ministry of Magic," then he was gone, Harry walked forward and threw his Floo Powder into the flame and stepped in, Harry felt the familiar warm breeze and said, vary carefully so as not to be sent to the wrong place, "Ministry of Magic."

Harry spun and spun and spun and then was spat out landing on his hands and knees in the familiar atrium of the Ministry. Harry looked around, the Fountain of Magical Brethren, that had been destroyed when Voldemort and Dumbledore had duelled, had been repaired, Ernie the watch wizard was now no longer alone, another desk was next to him with a witch sitting behind it both of them were flanked by two security trolls. Then Harry noticed that a large picture of Albus Dumbledore now resided at the end of the atrium above the golden gates that concealed the elevators. There was a rush of fire behind him and Harry turned to see, not Ron, but a tall ministry wizard who walked past Harry with out even noticing him. Did this mean that Ron had lost his nerve, and for that matter where was Mr Weasley. Harry looked around and saw Ron standing in front of another fire place on the same side as he was, then he saw Mr Weasley standing in the middle of the atrium looking around for Harry and Ron. Harry jostled his way through the many wizards and witches to where Mr Weasley was standing then he pointed Ron out to him and both of them beckoned Ron over.

When Ron reached them they walked towards the desk that had a sign reading, _Security, Visitors _"Just line up here Jane will take care of you, I've got to go over here." he said pointing at a rather longer queue made up of Ministry employees, "All these new security measures." Harry and Ron waited while the girl in front of them was checked by the witch that Mr Weasley had called Jane.

When the girl had walked off Harry and Ron moved up to the desk.

"Name? Wand?" she said in a voice that clearly showed that she had been doing this for a long time,

"Harry Potter," said Harry as he held out his wand,

"Ron Weasley," said Ron doing the same, she had been watching a large sneakoskope as they had been talking and then looked up and took both wands and put them on the dishes of what looked like two sets of scales, after a second two pieces of paper ejected from the bottom,

"Eleven inches, Phoenix feather, six years of use, handle silver. Correct?" she said to Harry

"Yes," the witch turned to Ron,

"Fourteen inches, unicorn hair, in use four years." Ron seemed incapable of speaking and merely nodded, "Please state your business at the Ministry."

"Apparition tests." Harry said

"Ok, sixth floor. Now if you could just come around here." they walked around the desk and Jane produced a golden secrecy sensor and ran it up and down their bodies. "Everything seems in order, you have these back," she said and passed Harry and Ron their wands. They then walked over to the other side of the hall to wait for Mr Weasley. Eric had just started on him

"Name? Position? Wand?" Harry heard him say in the exact same tone that Jane had used

"Arthur Weasley, Head of the Office for Detection and Confiscation of Counterfeit Defensive Spells and Protective Objects." He said as he handed his wand in. There was a short pause then Eric said

"Thirteen and a half inches, dragon heart string, in use fifteen years." Mr Weasley too was examined with a secrecy sensor then Eric returned his wand.

"Dad," Ron said when Mr Weasley joined them "Why has your wand only been in use fifteen years?"

"Well, when you were two years old, you left one of your teddies at the top of the stairs, I tripped over it and fell down the stairs, I wasn't hurt but my wand was irreparable."

"Oh," Ron said his ears going slightly pink.

Eric was now testing the tall wizard that had passed Harry next to the fire, he had just placed the man's wand on the dish when it gave a loud croak and turned into a rubber frog.

"What the..."

"Avada Kedavra" the tall wizard said pulling his real wand from inside his robes. Eric was hit in the chest and toppled backwards over the chair. The four security trolls were up in a second and advancing on the man, they didn't bother with walking around the desk instead one just brought his huge club down on top of it then walked over the remains. It reached the wizard and was raising it's club to swing when a voice from the excited crowd called

"Expelliarmus" the troll's club flew out of it's hand and landed with a splash in the fountain. The trolls were confused now they couldn't tell who was attacking them, so they started taking wild swings at anyone around them. There was a cry of

"Incendio" from someone else in the crowd and one of the trolls' clubs caught fire, it didn't seem to notice though and continued to swing it wildly around. There was a clang as the golden gates opened and six or seven Aurors ran out.

"Aguamenti," a jet of water rushed out of the Aurors' wand and put out the fire on the trolls club,

"Incarcerous" several yelled and the four trolls were bound tight and fell struggling against the bonds that Harry knew would not be strong enough to hold them. The other Aurors were running amongst the crowd but it was impossible to tell who was friend and who was foe.

Then Harry saw someone running through the crowd and towards the lifts, Harry raised his

wand and said "Stupefy." The red beam hit the man in the back but didn't cause him to topple; instead the red jet glanced off and hit the gates with a loud clang.

"He's wearing a shield hat," Ron shouted over the noise, as he and Harry took off after the man, but instead of getting into one of the lifts he darted left and up a set of stairs Harry had never noticed before. Harry and Ron followed but by the time they had reached the bottom of the stairs the man had tuned and continued going up. Harry and Ron reached the top floor panting and saw the man running along the corridor, "Stupefy" Ron shouted but again it simply glanced off the man.

Harry spun his wand between his figures and shouted "Poliltrium." The spell worked, the man was covered in a thick layer of ice and Harry and Ron triumphantly caught up with him.

"What is the meaning of this?" came a voice that turned Harry's blood to fire, Dolores Umbridge was walking up the corridor, "Who did this?" She stopped stunned, "Potter? How dare you attack the head of the Broomstick Regulation Control Department?" she was seething with rage.

"I think he is under the Imperious Curse."

"Oh really, and do you have any proof of this, Mr Potter?" Harry was tossing up whether to answer or simply jinx Umbridge when someone said from behind Harry,

"Excuse me, emergency" Harry turned and saw that it was one of the Aurors that had arrived at the atrium "oh is that...?" he said looking at the frozen figure, "Arthur Weasley said he had seen someone running up the stairs, is this him."

"Yes." said Harry, "Madam Umbridge here was just questioning my right to attack him."

"Oh, believe me Madam Umbridge we should be very grateful that this young man did attack him, he may have been up to anything, could have been attempting to assassinate the Minister probably. Thank you young man... Merlin's beard it's Harry Potter. Well we're very grateful Mr Potter, if you hadn't stopped him he probably would have met Dolores here and she'd probably be dead."

"Excuse me I think I am quite capable of defending myself."

"Not likely Madam Umbridge, no offence meant but they had already shown that they were prepared to use the unforgivables. Well we should get Mr Greengrass here of to St Mungo's to defrost and remove the Imperious Curse."

"Did you get all the others, the ones in the Atrium?"

"Yes, no trouble basically" the Auror grabbed the frozen man and dissapparated, Umbridge snorted and walked past Harry and Ron into the lifts. Harry and Ron decided to follow her and walking to one of the lifts Ron pushed the down button a lift clattered into sight and they walked in and Ron pressed the button marked _Atrium_. The lift descended slowly and then the grill swung open and Harry and Ron walked out and then through the golden gates.

Mr Weasley was quite easy to spot due to his thinning red hair,

"Oh Harry, Ron. Where did you two get to, you had me worried you know."

"Sorry dad, we just followed that bloke that ran up the stairs, Harry stopped him."

"Should have left him for a minute and let him kill Umbridge." Harry said bitterly.

"Now Harry don't joke about that, especially these days. Well after that little bit of excitement," Harry noticed that despite Mr Weasley's casual tone, he looked quite shaken at having just witnessed Eric being murdered, "We should probably get up to level six and do your tests," Ron groaned,

"We just saved the Minister for Magic's life, you'd think they could let us off having to take the stupid tests." they turned around and walked back into one of the lifts, it was empty except for three paper airplanes that floated lazily above their heads.

"Oh, security is going to be a nightmare after this." Mr Weasley groaned, "Now I'm going to have to leave for work even earlier."

"Mr Weasley, how did they tell who was under the Imperious Curse and who was just an innocent bystander." Mr Weasley chuckled,

"Well Harry ninety-five percent of people were running around screaming and trying not to get killed but the rest were attacking the Aurors, it was pretty obvious who was on which side."

The grill opened and the usual female voice said "Level Six, Department of Magical Transportation, incorporating the Floo Network Authority, Broom Regulatory Control, Portkey Office and Apparition Test Centre." Harry, Ron and Mr Weasley walk out of the lift and down the long corridor and into a room with a sign saying _Apparition Test Centre_ "Hello Jason," Mr Weasley said to the wizard sitting at a desk in front of them, "My son and his friend have booked their apparition tests for today, sorry we're a bit late but as you've probably heard there was a bit of a fuss in the Atrium."

"No, I haven't Arthur, what happened?

"Oh, six or seven employees started attacking people, under the Imperious Curse of course."

"Merlin's beard. Any one hurt?"

"Eric the Watch Wizard was killed and a few people got bashed by those security trolls"

"Oh... Poor Eric, he had a wife too, how's she going to react." He stared at his desk for a moment then looked up "Oh I'm sorry just forgot why you were here for a sec, let's see, Weasley... are yes two tests with Mr Twycross"

"Oh great," Ron muttered to Harry, "Just what I wanted to do my test with that prat."

"Though that door there" Jason finished pointing at the nearest door.

"Well good luck boys," Mr Weasley said as they walked up to the door and with one final glance at each other walked through it.

"A bit late aren't we boys" came the deadly dull voice of Wilkie Twycross, "Now it only had Weasley on the form, so who have we got here?"

"Ron Weasley."

"Ah that Weasley yes I remember you, you left an eyebrow behind last time didn't you yes I sure you did, unlucky that was, unlucky but rules are rules and it clearly states that any splinching however small constitutes a failure. And you are?"

"Harry Potter."

"Oh well hello Mr Potter," Twycross said running forward to shake Harry's hand, "I take it this is your first attempt to pass the tests."

"Yes, my birthday was yesterday."

"I thought as much, I did not remember you taking the test with me during the school year, and I am sure I would have remembered meeting you."

"Now let me just remind you of procedure, to pass your apparition test you must make four successful moves, the first only a short distance, the second a medium, the third quite a long distance, and the fourth you must do with someone side-along. As I have already reminded you if you at any stage splinch or miss your target by more than three metres then you fail and you will not be able to take the test again for another month." Harry was starting to feel really nervous now, if he failed he would not be legally allowed to apparate for at least another month and that would mean that his mission to find the horcruxes was held up a lot. "Now if you will kindly follow me."

Twycross walked out the door and turned left Harry and Ron followed quickly, he led them through the offices of and then opened a set of double doors, they walked out into a room that was bigger than the great hall at Hogwarts, there were several small cones placed around it with large hoops that Harry guessed had a radius of three metres. "Mr Weasley if you would like to go first, apparate into the hoop with the red cone." Ron gulped and closed his eyes, he half turned on the spot and then with a pop he was gone. Another pop later he appeared in the hoop standing right next to the cone.

"Now Mr Potter if you would like to follow on." Harry closed his eyes concentrated hard on existing within the hoop and half turned on the spot. Harry felt the familiar sensation of being sucked down a tight rubber tube. He opened his eyes to find himself standing next to Ron inside the hoop. He sighed with relief. "Now Mr Weasley the orange cone if you please," Twycross said pointing at the hoop in the corner. Ron gritted his teeth and turned on the spot; again he was gone with a slight crack and appeared standing next to the cone. Harry had already closed his eyes and started concentrating on the orange cone and the hoop around it when he heard Mr Twycross say "Your turn Harry." He turned and felt himself bump into Ron. Another sigh of relief. There was a crack and Twycross had apparated next to them. "No splinching, good. Now Ron the hoop over there. Green cone." he said pointing at a hoop at the opposite end of the room. "I believe it was this third attempt when you lost your eyebrow last time so good luck." Ron scowled at Twycross before apparating he landed just inside the hoop. This time harry didn't wait to be told but turned and apparated, he appeared right on the edge of the hoop, and felt himself losing balance, he was going to fall out of the hoop and knowing Twycross's love of rules he would probably fail for it. Harry couldn't hold his balance, he fell. There was a pop as Twycross joined them.

He looked at Harry for a long minute, considering him then he said, "I'm not sure if that constitutes a failure or not Mr Potter, you landed within the three metre radius, hmmmm I guess I'll let you go."

Harry had been holding his breath ever since he hit the ground now he gratefully exhaled and allowed Ron to help him to his feet. "Now boys if Mr Weasley could apparate down to the blue cone, with Mr potter side-along and then the other way around on the way back. Ron grabbed hold of his arm very hard and licked his lips and closed his eyes. "Whenever you're ready Mr Weasley." Harry felt Ron turn away from him but still hold the pressure on Harry, again they were rushing through the asphyxiating mass. They landed neatly inside the hoop. Harry felt Ron go limp with relief and nearly fall over. Harry tugged at his arm and said

"Remember you've still got to go side-along with me." Ron stood up and gave Harry an encouraging pat on the back. Harry focused his whole mind on taking himself and Ron back to Mr Twycross. Now he was being sucked though the long tunnel, hauling Ron along with him, for a second he felt like Harry might drop Ron and he gave one huge tug and they both popped into existence. Harry landed squarely on top of the cone and slid sideways. He hit the ground face first, then he heard from somewhere above him, "Well done boys, well done. You both pass." Ron whooped and pulled Harry up by the back of his robes.

They walked out of the room and back through the offices to the front room where they found Mr Weasley talking to Jason about the security upgrades there were bound to be.

"I've been saying right from the start that those trolls were a bad idea," Mr Weasley was saying "And I was right, first sign of trouble they start attacking anyone within reach, they're not trained for this sort of thing."

"I know what you mean, what would have happened if someone put them under the Imperious Curse, they wouldn't have the brain power to fight it, precious few people can fight it after all, and with human intelligence behind those things they could cause outright chaos before we could stop them."

"Was any one badly hurt by the trolls?" Harry asked.

"Oh no, a few broken bones, some internal injuries, one person with some burns after being hit by that flaming club, St Mungo's will be able to fix them up in a heartbeat but it's six injuries that didn't need to have happened. Any way how did you two go?"

"Passed, both of us" Ron said eagerly.

"Excellent. Well I'll just take you boy's home and then..."

"Dad you don't need to take us home, we can apparate now, remember."

"Very well, bye Jason"

They walked out of the Apparition Test Centre and found themselves face to face with Rufus Scrimgeour with Percy Weasley and Dolores Umbridge flanking him, Harry noticed both Mr Weasley and Ron stiffen at the sight of Percy. "Harry! I hear I owe you a thank-you, dealt with a dangerous man that was coming to attack me." Harry merely nodded "Good work then, now I was wondering..."

"If I'd changed my mind, no"

"Oh no no I was just wondering if you had heard that Stan Shunpike was released from Azkaban,"

"Yeah." Harry said indifferently

"Well then I don't see why you won't agree to help me."

"You don't get it do you, you think that by releasing one man you'll win me over, how long did it take you to realise that this 23 year old wasn't a Death Eater? Nearly a year."

"Harry, Harry there are procedures these things take time."

"Yeah there are procedures, tell me did Stan even stand trial." Scrimgeour didn't answer "I thought not, and anyway there are others,"

"Who, name one person who's in Azkaban who shouldn't be"

"He's not in Azkaban but Jasper Lovegood; I heard how you wanted to arrest him just because he was annoying you."

"Jasper Lovegood is a threat to Ministry security," Scrimgeour said his temper starting to rise.

"Oh yeah I can see how you would think that is a threat when you've got people running around here under the Imperious Curse."

"We have dealt with those people."

"No you didn't, I did."

"Potter, are you so arrogant as to believe that I would have been assassinated by that man had you not stopped him. Everywhere I go I have protection, Weasley here is always ready and when I am outside the Ministry I am protected by Aurors."

"Any way, you haven't dealt with those people, because the person who put them under the curse is still out there."

"Every Auror in the Ministry is currently looking for Death Eaters."

"It all comes back to the same thing as Sirius, there's a quick way out so you take it,"

"Do you expect us to be so omnipresent that we can guess that a man like Black was innocent?"

"You didn't even give him a chance to put his case," anger beginning to rise in his chest.

"Even if there was a trial he would have been found guilty, the evidence was all against him,"

"Priori Incantatem, ever hear of it, it's quite a simple spell and that would have proved that Sirius didn't kill Pettigrew."

"The man was an unregistered Animagus, he deserved what he got." Harry did not think, he acted on instinct anger was flowing through him as he pulled out his wand and the thought _Levicorpus _sprang to his mind. The Minister was pulled off his feet and hung in the air then Harry found both Percy's and Umbridge's wands in his face,

"Let him down now," Umbridge said "Or you'll be arrested,"

"You wouldn't dare, that headline wouldn't look too good, "The Chosen One" in Azkaban, the people wouldn't be too happy with you if you put their "hero" in prison would they?" slowly the wands were lowered and Harry marched away calling over his shoulder "Great protection by the way." when they were about to step into a lift Harry pointed his wand at Scrimgeour and thought _Liberacopus, S_crimgeour fell to the floor in a heap and Harry stepped into the lift.

"You really shouldn't have done that." Mr Weasley said as the lift jangled down to the Atrium, Harry's rage was starting to ebb away by now,

"I know, just hearing him say...that he deserved what he got, just made me...boil over I suppose."

"I know but a man like Scrimgeour can make your life quite uncomfortable," there was a slight pause, "Everyone's life quite uncomfortable."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, he knows I was with you so he might... well he might take out some of his anger at you on me."

"What you think he'll sack you?"

"It's possible, or he might demote me, or any number of things." Before Harry could reply a witch got into the lift from the seventh floor and they stood in silence until the lift came to a halt outside the Atrium.

"Ok boys if you just go out the gates and past the security desks then you will be able to apparate home." said Mr Weasley before closing the grill of his lift and it started to rattle upwards. They walked in silence up to the golden gates and into the hall where they could see and obvious increase in security already, Eric's body had been removed and now three wizards that were dressed in a uniform of pure white robes were standing where the desk had once been, one holding the secrecy sensor the other two with their wands raised at the person being checked.

"Who are they?" Harry whispered to Ron.

"Magical Law Enforcement. But I wonder what that bloke's doing." he said pointing at a wizard who was performing several sweeps of his wand aiming at the wall.

"dunno," but even as he said it a brilliant blue beam of light suddenly shot from one side the room to the other and stayed there. Ron who had almost been hit by it jumped back in shock but the man who had cast the spell said,

"No need to worry boys, it's quite safe to walk though this way just not the other way unless you have the counter charm applied to you with in the last two minutes."

"What happens if you walk through it with out the charm?" Harry asked,

"Well that all depends on the spell I put on, at the moment it's just stunning."

"Thanks." Ron said and taking a small breath he walked through the light, just as the wizard had said nothing happened, Harry followed but when he turned around he saw that the light was not blue but red. "That's a seriously good bit of spell work, I doubt even Hermione could do something like that." Ron said admiringly. "Well I suppose we better get back home now, no point in waiting around here." He closed his eyes half turned on the spot and dissapparated, Harry gave the life size portrait of Dumbledore one final glance before he did too.

Harry spent the rest of the day helping prepare for the wedding which was going to held in two days, there were a surprising number of thing to do so he didn't get a chance to talk to anyone about what had happened at the Ministry until dinner that night. "I saw you apparate here, so I know you passed but how did it go anyway?" Hermione asked when they had finally sat down to eat after a long day's work,

"I went really well," Ron replied, "But Harry nearly failed because he fell over after his third apparate, and I felt like you nearly lost me when you did the side-along bit."

"I did nearly let you go, but I was lucky." at that moment there was a crack out side the door and a second later Mr Weasley was walking through the door,

"Oh what a day, what a day."

"What happened dear?" his wife asked worriedly.

"You mean the boys didn't tell you?"

"No we've been too busy all day to tell anyone anything about what happened." So Mr Weasley with help from Ron and Harry told all about the attacks in the Ministry.

"So you think that one of them was trying to kill the Minister?" Bill asked

"Oh no, I don't really think that they expected to kill Scrimgeour it's just they want to alert people to they're powerful and that nowhere is safe from them."

"Did Scrimgeour end up doing any thing to you Mr Weasley?"

"What, why would the Minister want to do anything to you Arthur?" Mr Weasley took a deep breath and explained the meeting they had had with Scrimgeour. There was a shocked silence when he finished,

"You attacked the Minister for Magic himself?" Hermione said with a slight gasp.

"And you didn't get in trouble?" Ginny said look awed.

"Well no, I didn't get into trouble but I thought your dad might because he was with me,"

"No, I'm in no trouble Harry, but I was sent a memo telling me I should do everything in my power to persuade you to assist the Ministry."

"Well I'm sorry, but you'd be wasting your time." Harry said bluntly,

"I know that, but Scrimgeour doesn't seem to think so." The table fell silent except for the clinking of the knives and forks as people ate the Shepard's pie that Mrs Weasley had cooked. Harry was exhaustedly after the long day and as soon as he had finished dinner.

The next day Harry woke up and dressed in a set of dark blue robes and went down for breakfast, there Harry saw Mrs Weasley already cooking food for the wedding, and Mr Weasley drinking a cup of tea, his usual morning paper was lying rolled on the table so nobody had seen the headline.

A/N Allow me to thank you all for reading, and thank those of you who have reviewed in particular,

This will defiantly be my last post before Christmas (Duh) and maybe my last before new year, depending on how much I feel like wrighting when there is the option of listening to HBP audio CD that I will be given. Any way enjoy your Christmas and please keep reviewing.


	8. Undersecretary Unmasked

Chapter Eight: Undersecretary Unmasked.

_A Dark Mark Over the Ministry_

_This morning British wizards and witches woke to find bedlam among the Ministry of Magic, after yesterday's attacks by six employees under the Imperious Curse, in which one man was killed and many injured. One man is believed to have attempted to assassinate the Minister, many tensions were high, and it seems that they were right to be. Rufus Scrimgeour, Minister for Magic, was this morning woken by the sound of an intruder in his home, upon confronting the invader, he realised that it was in fact an Inferi, it was only after Scrimgeour had overcome his attacker that he recognized who it was, a familiar lime green bowler hat was the first clue to the identity of Cornelius Fudge, ex-Minister for Magic. Another blow was dealt to the Ministry when Dolores Jane Umbridge, senior under secretary to the Minister, was found dead by a muggle woman going to do her shopping, the team at St Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries who examined the body stated that the damage seems to point to death as a result of being savaged by werewolves in the night. The third of these apparently planed attacks was found by Mrs Claire Diggory this morning, when having assumed her husband had been busy at the office all night, she came out of the house and saw the Dark Mark over her garden shed, Aurors were called and they found the remains of Amos Diggory, head of the new Department for the Preventing of Dementor Attacks. In response to these co-ordinated attacks Rufus Scrimgeour called a press conference in which he said, "This chaos must be brought to an end, in response to the distressing events of the past twenty-four hours I am giving the Aurors permission to use any amount of force necessary to capture or stop any members who we either know or believe to be a part of the group fashioning themselves as the Death Eaters." More information page 5. _

and below the article there were four pictures, the largest one of Rufus Scrimgeour plainly making his speech that morning, and three smaller photos, one of Amos Diggory that had appeared in the Prophet when he had been promoted to his new office, the second of Umbridge blinking slowly, the same photo that had been used when she had been appointed High Inquisitor, and the third was Cornelius Fudge waving at the crowd below him.

Harry felt bile rising up his chest and he had to work hard not to throw up. He did not care about Umbridge but having only the day before wished death upon her made him feel slightly sick. Fudge had been a nice enough person, just an inept Minister and a blustering fool. It was the fate of Amos Diggory that was making his insides go numb and rock like. Harry remembered from two years ago the man crying like a fountain over the fate of his son Cedric then he remembered the woman who had stood next to him, looking as if her insides had just been removed and Harry's feeling of sickness increased.

"Any one we know?" Ron said apparating across the table from Harry, Harry could not answer; he looked at Ron who clearly read something in Harry's look and rushed around the table to look at the paper. His eyes slid from the heading to the four photos, then up to the article and slid slowly down it. He made a noise of disgust stared at the photos,

"What's the matter?" Mrs Weasley said worried

"Four Ministry workers dead and two attacks on the Minister in twenty-four hours." Ron replied, Mr Weasley jumped up knocking his cup of tea flying over the paper, Mr Weasley waved his wand quickly and the tea stains vanished. He read the article quickly then said

"Molly, they'll want everyone in the office as soon as possible, I should go." and without waiting for a reply he ran to the door and pushed it open and dissapparated on the steps. Mrs Weasley then picked up the paper after a minute she dropped it and said,

"Oh that poor woman"

"Umbridge?"

"No Claire Diggory, she's already lost her only son now they've taken her husband too." Hermione and Ginny came into the kitchen at this point, when they questioned everyone about what had happened no-one answered so Hermione found the paper on the floor and read it aloud to Ginny, it sounded even worse when it was being read aloud, then Hermione ruffled though the paper and continued on,

"Annalists have speculated that these attacks were not designed to fit any particular goal or job for the Death Eaters but in order to gain widespread publicity and generate fear among the population. The two recent attempts on the Minister's life are prime examples, I doubt that He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named really expected an attack by a single man to be a success when the Minister is constantly guarded by several Ministry members while at the work, similarly the attack by an Inferi, most Inferi attacks are successful because of the shear mass of numbers, said Mr Graham Kelpie, author of _The Dark Mentality. _These attacks are just the next step up from the highly publicized murders of twelve players from major league Quidditch, Emiline Vance and Amelia Bones, and the murder of Albus Dumbledore' Kelpie went on to say."

"What?" Harry said rather too loudly, "Snape killed Dumbledore because Voldemort." several people flinched at the sound of the name, "was scared of him."

"I know Harry, but you must admit it has done well to serve the cause of spreading fear among the community." Harry calmed himself forcefully, and then tried to think of some other topic of conversation because everyone in the kitchen was looking at him as if concerned for him,

"What was that thing Scrimgeour said, 'permission to use any amount of force necessary'"?

"It means he's allowing the use of the unforgivable curses on suspected death eaters," Mrs Weasley said, "Arthur and I were discussing it last night and we were both slightly surprised that the decision hadn't been made already, I mean it brought Barty Crouch a lot of popularity when he was Head of Magical Law so why shouldn't it be just as popular this time."

Harry was about to respond when there was a loud crack from outside in the garden. Harry pulled his wand from his pocket and gave a significant look to Ron and Hermione who did likewise; Harry motioned Ron to guard the door, and pointed Hermione to check the back door. He walked to the widow and moved the curtain ever so slightly so he could see the garden, what he saw shocked him to the point that he stood there dumbfounded only coming out of the reverie when he heard Ginny whisper

"What's going on Harry?"

"I think it's Ok there's only one person there but we might want to check them," at this moment Hermione came back in

"There's no one there Harry."

"Yeah, just hold this one, give me a second" Harry ran out of the kitchen and returned quickly holding his new sneakoscope just as the door handle was turning, the door opened and Percy Weasley walked in, far from relaxing in relief the rest of the occupants of the kitchen seemed to become more aggressive, Percy found Ron's wand held directly to his face and Ginny was making a noise like an angry cat, even Mrs Weasley had stiffened slightly.

"What do you want?" Ron said aggressively.

"More importantly who are you?" Harry asked slightly calmer than Ron. Everyone turned to him confused, "Just say your name," Harry said when it looked like Percy would ask a question.

"Percy Ignatius Weasley." The sneakoscope stayed completely still.

"Well, He passed that test, any one know a way to detect the Imperious Curse?"

"Don't worry Harry I'm not under the Imperious Curse any more" Percy said in the same dejected voice

"Any more?" Ginny said looking confused, Percy sighed and said,

"Mother may we have a cup of tea?" Ron glared at Percy but Mrs Weasley appeared to be glad in having something to do and bustled around making a pot of tea while everyone else moved to the table and sat down, Hermione gave Ron a pleading look and eventually he went and sat down next to her. Mrs Weasley came to the table with a laden tray and started handing out tea.

Percy heaved a huge sigh and then began "I suppose it started two years ago, when, I was called in to talk to some people, I assumed it was more questions about the instructions Mr Crouch had been sending me. When I got there I found...that woman..."

"Who?" Hermione asked

"Dolores Umbridge... Well she told me that the Junior Undersecretary for the Minister was called upon to replace Mr Crouch as Head of the Department for International Co-Operation, and a new Undersecretary was needed, she said that she had been looking at my record, my N.E.W.T scores and the fact that I had in my first year at the Ministry basically taken over the running of an entire department. I was of course thrilled by the prospect until she started talking about some very nasty "lies" that had been spread, by Albus Dumbledore and Harry Potter," he inclined his head towards Harry, "And that my family were apparently supporting those "lies" and that I would have to do what I could to show them the truth of the matter. I stated that I would be unable to sway my parents support because of our close relationship with Harry and our loyalty to Professor Dumbledore," Percy's already wavering voice quivered even worse when he said Dumbledore's name. "Then she said if that was the case then I would have to '_sever ties_' with my family if I wanted the job." The bitter note in Percy's voice made it clear that 'sever ties' had been a direct quote, but the phrase had stirred something in Harry's memory, _it may be that you are afraid to sever ties with Potter,_ Percy's letter that had been delivered to Gryffindor tower, but before Harry could think much more on the subject Percy had continued, "Upon hearing this I naturally turned the job down, as politely as possible of course, and _she_ rose, I had assumed to show me to the door, I stood up and turned around, I did not here her say the incantation but she must have done, she would never have been powerful enough to non-verbally cast such a complex spell, then I felt wonderfully free as if I didn't have a care in the world."

"The Imperious Curse" Harry said and Hermione nodded.

"Yes." Ron's wand fell with a clatter to the floor, Ginny hands balled into fists and she mouthed silently, 'That old cow' but Mrs Weasley simply stood totally stunned, she barely blinked for over a minute.

"And she made you take the job and leave your family?" Harry asked

"Yes, and do some other quite nasty thing, she made me support that foul bit of Anti-Werewolf Legislation, I don't hate werewolves, Professor Lupin was really nice and got me though my N.E.W.T.'s. And I don't know whether you were told but I was one of the people who she summoned to help her...attack Hagrid."

"It's all right," said Hermione who seemed to be the only person capable of speaking, "You didn't mean any of it, it's not your fault."

"I couldn't fight it, I couldn't resist, even after all that time I could barely struggle." Percy said and then he slumped onto the table and cried. This seemed to break the trance, Mrs Weasley jumped up and hugged Percy and then she started crying as well. After some time Mrs Weasley let go and Percy sat up, and embraced Ginny. Ron appeared to be going though some painful internal struggle but finally held his hand out for Percy to shake. Percy took it with a quivering hand but almost instantly there was a sharp tap on the window, everyone jumped, outside the door were four large owls; Mrs Weasley looked confused and went to open the door. The owls fluttered though in single file and went and stat in front of Ginny, Hermione, Harry and Ron. Each Harry noticed, had a heavy parchment envelope attached to it's leg the Hogwarts crest stamped on the back, but instead of the familiar script of Minerva McGonagall it was written in a recognizable hand that for the moment Harry couldn't quite place with an owner. He detached the letter and slit it open

_Dear Mr Potter_

_Due to the tragic events of last term, the question of Hogwarts remaining open has been put to the Governors of the school. They have decided that the school should stay open, if there are sufficient numbers willing to return, Therefore will you please send an owl indicating your preference for continuing your education, with a parent or guardian's signature if you are under age, as soon as possible. Your book list will be sent out when and if the school will be defiantly re-open due to the need to hire new members of staff._

_Yours sincerely _

_Professor F. Flitwick _

_Deputy Headmaster _

Harry's heart sank, now he would have to confirm in his mind that he would not be going back to Hogwarts, he knew that he couldn't, but that didn't stop him thinking about the year ahead at Hogwarts, he dropped the envelope on the table and as it fell a second bit of parchment fell out, this one was written in the familiar hand of his ex-Head of House, he picked it up and read;

_Dear Mr Potter_

_I know that you will of course be returning to Hogwarts for your final year, but this letter is procedure and you must give us your response soon. As it is your seventh year the subject of_

At this point Harry was distracted from the letter by Hermione screaming with delight,

"I've been named Head Girl!" There was an impressed silence while Hermione danced on the spot then she seemed to contain herself, "Are you Head Boy Ron?"

"It didn't say anything on the letter so..."

"It was on a note written by Professor McGonagall, it will be separate in the envelope." Ron looked into his envelope and came up with nothing.

"Well then I guess it'll be Ernie, I mean they don't have much choice do they, I doubt that Malfoy's on there list of great students and that Goldstein bloke's a prat," he said. Harry glanced down at the note in his hand and two words jumped out at him; _Head Boy_. Hermione was in the middle of a rant defending Anthony Goldstein when Harry cut across her,

"I don't think you have to be a prefect to be Head Boy,"

"That wouldn't make sense, what would be the point of being a prefect if anyone could become Head Boy,"

"Ron! Prefect is still a very honourable position."

"Yeah but it's a bit like a consolation prize isn't it?" This made it a lot harder to tell them, he didn't want to beat Ron again, being prefect had been the only time he had ever done better than Harry. Then Harry remembered the image Ron had described from the Mirror of Erised, Quidditch Captain and Head Boy, Ron was neither of these things and now Harry was going to be both. Harry silently passed the piece of parchment to Ron and braced for the impact.

"Wow, well done mate, you really deserve it." There was sincerity in Ron's voice and Harry was relived to hear it then he suddenly noticed that Ginny was not with them. She was sitting in a corner of the room with Percy looking over her shoulder,

"What's the matter?" he asked quickly walking over to stand next to Percy, who had the air of wanting to be as involved in everything around the house as possible to make up for his estrangement.

"I've been sent my O.W.L results."

"What," cried Mrs Weasley, "But you didn't finish your O.W.L exams"

"She's been given D.O.Gs." Percy said

"D.O.Gs?" Ron asked in bewilderment

"Derived O.W.L Grades." supplied Hermione "Professor McGonagall explained them to me when we were in fifth year. We got them if we were sick for an exam, I would have thought that Harry would have got them for History of Magic but apparently you spent just too much time in the exam room to qualify. They base your grades of your previous year's marks, O.W.L practice papers and some important pieces of homework, all cross marked by the Headmaster."

"How did you do?" Mrs Weasley asked as soon as Hermione had finished her explanation.

"Ok, I suppose"

"Oh, come on, if there aren't at least eight owls then I'm a flobber worm." and without waiting he snatched the piece of parchment out of her hand, Hermione and Mrs Weasley both gave Ron a death glare but he didn't notice, being too engrossed in his sister's grades, Harry couldn't help it, he looked over Ron's shoulder.

_ORDINARY WIZARDING LEVEL RESULTS_

_Pass Grades: Outstanding(O) Fail Grades: Poor(P)_

_Exceeds Expectations(E) Dreadful(D) _

_Acceptable(A)_ _Troll(T)_

_Where the letters D.O.G are placed the student has received a derived exam score, see sheet two_

_GINNIVA MOLLY WEASLEY HAS ACHEAVED_

_Astronomy E (D.O.G)_

_Care of Magical Creatures E (D.O.G)_

_Charms E (D.O.G)_

_Defence Against the Dark Arts E (D.O.G)_

_Herbology A (D.O.G)_

_History of Magic A (D.O.G)_

_Muggle Studies E (D.O.G) _

_Potions O (D.O.G)_

_Transfiguration E (D.O.G)_

Harry looked up as Ron said "See, **nine** O.W.L.'s."

"That's excellent dear, you didn't fail anything," Mrs Weasley yelled.

"Yeah well," Ron said, suddenly scowling, "She never did divination did she. And she didn't have Harry have a fit in the middle of her history exam."

"That's really great Ginny. You beat me and Ron," Harry said.

"And got three times's what Fred or George got." Percy added. "Well, I have something to do, Mother where would I find Bill? I must apologise for my turning down the invitation to his wedding."

"Oh, Percy," It looked as though Mrs Weasley was about to cry again but she controlled herself and said "I think he's outside setting up chairs." Percy left the room and Mrs Weasley said,

"Well I suppose we might as well send an owl to Minerva now, while I'm thinking about it. How do you think it should go? Harry Potter, Hermione Granger, Ronald Weasley and Ginny Weasley will all be returning to Hogwarts this year, and then Harry, Hermione, Ron and I all sign it?" There was an awkward pause,

"Um, Mrs Weasley." Harry sought for a gentle way of putting it, "I don't think that's how the letter will go actually."

"You want it more elaborate, I Harry James Potter will be returning to Hogwarts to complete my seventh year?" Mrs Weasley seemed buoyant at the return of her son.

"No, more like, 'Unfortunately due to the need to do other things I, Harry James Potter will not be able to return to Hogwarts.'"

"What?" Mrs Weasley asked, her buoyant mood ebbing away.

"I'm not going back to Hogwarts this year, I don't think Hermione or Ron are either," Ginny glared at him and he added quickly, "Ginny doesn't want to as well, but of course she needs your permission not to." All four of them had been absentmindedly walking backwards, away from Mrs Weasley so as to lessen the blow when she exploded. But instead she just said,

"But it's your seventh year, your most important year. And your Head Boy, you can't just leave."

"I'm sorry but there will be no dissuading me." Mrs Weasley sunk into a chair and started to cry, but these were not happy tears like those she had shed for Percy but sad and fearful sobs. Through the crying they caught snatches like "plenty of time," and "all be killed."

Ginny ran forward and hugged her mother, "We'll be ok mum, we'll be in hiding."

"Mrs Weasley, you don't understand, Voldemort wants me dead," Mrs Weasley flinched at the sound of the name, "And I can't risk anyone else's life, look at Bill, he was attacked just because he was there when Dumbledore was killed, I don't want that to happen when he comes for me."

"So why are Ron and Ginny going with you?" Mrs Weasley sobbed.

"Because they and Hermione are the most important people in my life and Voldemort would use them to get to me."

"So where would you go?"

"I'm sorry Mrs Weasley, we can't tell you, it would be dangerous for you if you know." Mrs Weasley sat, still crying for the next few minutes, Harry felt distinctly awkward, not eased when the memory of his own body lying in front of Mrs Weasley when she was trying to banish a boggart. She was interrupted by the opening of the front door and Remus Lupin walked in, Mrs Weasley hastily tried to dry her eyes but Lupin had already seen,

"Molly what's the matter?"

"Oh... nothing, it's just I'm so... happy, Bill's big day tomorrow and Percy's come back" Harry wondered why she had lied to Lupin but decided not to press the subject.

"Percy, that's wonderful news."

"We might go out and help some more with the preparations" Ron said plainly keen to get out of the kitchen before the topic of returning to Hogwarts was brought up again.

"Oh alright, Ginny, Gabrielle has just arrived and I'm sure Fleur would appreciate your help fitting her with the bridesmaid's dress robes, Ron and Hermione would you like to go down and organize some plates and cutlery on the tables. Harry I think Kingsley was looking for someone to help him with security." So the four of them left the kitchen, Ginny upstairs to the room she had been sharing with Fleur, Ron and Hermione, carrying huge stacks of plates, knifes, forks and spoons with magic, out to the garden.

Just as Harry was about to leave the room there was a loud crack and a cry of "Hire a house elf, here to help." Harry jumped and looked behind him where he saw Dobby.

"Dobby?"

"Yes sir" squeaked the elf

"What are you doing here?"

"Well sir, during the summer holidays when there aren't enough jobs for the house elves to do at Hogwarts, most of the elves work for hire."

"Hire? But don't all the other elves think it's shameful to be paid."

"Oh yes sir, but when they gets paid they takes the money for their masters, for us the money goes to Hogwarts to be spent on new books for the library and some money goes into the fund for poor students, sir. But Dobby is allowed to keep ten percent of what he earns sir!" Harry was immensely grateful that Hermione had just left the room, he could just imagine what she would say if she found out that house elves were working so there masters made money.

"So you're here to help with the wedding, are you?"

"Yes sir, when Dobby heard that the Wheezys were hiring a house elf, Dobby insisted that he should do it sir, and he will do it for ten percent less and not keep any money for himself because Dobby knows that the Wheezys are a great family and good friends of Harry Potter!"

"Hang on, Dobby if the other house elves aren't at Hogwarts where's Kreacher?" Dobby's tennis ball eyes grew wide with fear,

"Dobby knows not Harry Potter, Dobby is sorry sir" and before Harry could stop him Dobby had run, full pelt, into the table leg "Bad Dobby, stupid Dobby, Dobby should have been watching Kreacher"

"No, it's not your fault, it's mine, Kreacher's my responsibility now. Kreacher!" Harry said the last word to the silent kitchen, Mrs Weasley and Lupin were watching stunned, there was another crack and the smell of old butter beer filled the kitchen Harry looked down to see a tattered bundle of rags lying on the floor which stirred slowly to reveal Kreacher,

"Master called Kreacher?"

"Yeah I did. Where have you been? Why didn't you come straight back to me when you weren't needed at Hogwarts?"  
"Master did not tell Kreacher that he was to come to you,"

"That didn't answer my first question, where have you been since term ended?"

"Kreacher has been in the Noble and Most Ancient Household of Black," Harry noticed something silver under Kreacher's arm.

"What have you got there?" Kreacher glared at Harry before saying

"Kreacher has a picture of his rightful mistress," then he muttered under his breath "Poor mistress, how could they take one so pure to Azkaban when there is mudblood scum walking around everywhere" Harry's fear that had for the moment left him, suddenly returned in double, Kreacher could not lie to him, but he could leave parts of the story out,

"Kreacher this is very important. Have you been talking to Narcissa Malfoy?"

"Kreacher has not spoken to the sister of my mistress for over a year."

"Have you been writing to her then, or in communication with her in any way?"

"Master is very suspicious, but Kreacher has not."

"What about Draco Malfoy? Snape? Wormtail? Voldemort?" Mrs Weasley flinched, but then fell off her chair in shock after Dobby screamed "Or any Death Eater, or anyone who is related to a Death Eater?" Harry finished.

"Kreacher has not spoken to any of the Dark Lord's followers."

"Harry, that's a great idea," said Lupin who was helping Mrs Weasley up from the floor.

"What? I didn't have an idea." Harry said totally nonplussed.

"Well you helped me get an idea. Look now whe're down a spy for the Order, maybe Kreacher could fill that role." Harry simply stared at him.

"You want to let this little piece of scum talk to the Death Eaters? Remus have you lost your mind, remember what happened last time he talked to them, your best friend, my godfather died. We all nearly died." Harry had to work hard to stop himself shouting.

"Yes but that was when he wasn't under our control, he went of his own free will. But this time we could send him to Narcissa Malfoy, tell him exactly what to say, and try and get some information about where Draco and Snape are hiding."'

"I don't know Remus, we better suggest it in a meeting before we go sending him off." Mrs Weasley said.

"Naturally." Harry looked at Kreacher, thinking about Lupin's idea, Harry knew that Kreacher must obey any direct order that he gave but the elf was crafty and might find a way round his instructions and give away dangerous information, like how Harry felt for Ginny. Harry shuddered at the thought.

"Harry, remember Kingsley needs some help," Mrs Weasley said

"Oh yeah, Kreacher, you just stay here and help Mrs Weasley" Harry said to the filthy elf and left the room.

He found Kingsley Shacklebolt walking around the perimeter of the Weasley's property, every ten feet or so he would conjure a small candle that had an odd grey flame and stick it in the ground Harry walked up to him.

"Harry," Kingsley said in his booming voice, "How are you?"

"Good thanks, Mrs Weasley said you would like a hand,"

"Oh, alright then," he waved his wand and five or six of the strange candles appeared in his hand, "If you could just place these every ten or so feet around the property that would be great."

"What do they do?"

"They are spell directors, we can use these to create a magical wall, that can't be climbed, dug under, destroyed or flown over, they will also create a boundary for the anti-apparition spell. This time tomorrow you want be able to apparate, portkey, fly or even appear with a Phoenix or Diricawl. The only way in will be though the gates, and Filius is at the moment working on them so that they only allow people who are on the guest list in."

Harry spent the next few hours working on the boundary and by one o'clock there was a small transparent grey boundary with a pair of golden gates that had been conjured there. Kingsley now had nothing for Harry to do so he went into the house, when he walked in he found it completely different to what it had been. It was huge, the kitchen now resembled the Hogwarts kitchens and Mrs Weasley was working over several large ovens, beside her was a woman who Harry had never seen before, but he guessed from her silver hair that she had to be Fleur's mother and she was also cooking, Dobby and Kreacher were nowhere to be seen but there was so much food in the kitchen that this was not surprising. Harry considered asking Mrs Weasley what he should be doing now, but one look at her stressed face showed that this would be unwise.

Harry went upstairs where he was surprised to see not the usual three doors but six, he walked to the room that he had been staying in, but when he opened it he found it occupied by Fred and George who shoved something pink out of sight as soon as he walked in.

"Hmmm, what was that thing, that most people should have, um oh yeah manners," Fred said in mock stupidity.

"Knocking is usually expected before you enter someone else's room Harry" George added conspiratorially.

"Oh, um, well two hours ago this wasn't someone else's room." Harry said looking around for his trunk.

"You've been moved up to the top floor opposite Ron."

"What is that you've got there Fred" Harry said pointing to the pink object behind Fred's back.

"Please, Harry how long have we known you, I'm George"

"No your not and now you're just trying to change the subject"

"He's sharp this one, that even usually works on mum."

"Yeah but your mum doesn't have a sneakoscope in her robe pocket,"

"That would explain it," the now confessed Fred said, "And as for this, you'll see tomorrow."

"You've got to be joking; your mum will kill you if you do anything stupid tomorrow."

"Harry, do you like your face the way it's currently arranged? Because if you do, I'd be a good boy and wait until tomorrow to find out."

"Yeah and don't go giving us away like you did at your party, we really wanted to test those bouncing beans,"

"Bouncing beans?"

"Make you bounce around for three minutes, we had quite a lot of trouble getting the hight right, when we tested them on ourselves we bounced too high and hit the roof, Fred was knocked cold." Harry laughed and said,

"Ok I won't tell your mum you're planing something, as if she's not expecting it anyway, but I did warn you," and he left.

Harry walked up to the third floor where he saw an extra two rooms had been added and continued up to the top floor, where the roof had apparently been raised because he was no longer in danger of hitting the roof without the aid of a bouncing been. Just as he was about to open his door Ron came out of the only other room on the floor,

"This is excellent, I've been nagging mum and dad to raise the ceiling for ages, do you know how annoying it is to be a foot taller than your own room?" Harry glanced into the room behind Ron; it was considerably bigger though still almost completely orange due to the large number of Quidditch posters. "I wish it would last but that Diggle bloke, who did it, said it would go back to normal in a few days. But maybe then he can change my room for good."

At this point Hermione and Ginny walked up the stairs,

"Well, this defiantly looks better." Hermione commented

"Yeah, pity they couldn't do anything about those." Ginny said pointing at the Chudley Cannons posters. Ron glared at her but decided not to say anything.

"Harry, can we talk? All of us I mean."

"Sure."

They walked into Harry's magically created room which looked a lot like Fred and George's room though notably with out the lingering smell of gunpowder. Hermione took a chair, Ron sat on Harry's trunk, and Harry and Ginny sat on the bed.

"Harry, you said to Mrs Weasley that you couldn't tell her where we were going, but you haven't even told us yet, which made me think that you... well might not tell us... and just one day not be here anymore." Ron glared at Harry but it was nothing compared the glare that Ginny gave him,

"I wasn't, I promise, I just forgot to tell you, I've been thinking about it, and we need somewhere we can stay, somewhere we can plan, and no matter what Voldemort can't find us there. So I've had a couple of ideas. The first one's a bit hopeful but I want to try...Godric's Hollow."

"I knew you were going to say that mate, but wasn't it well... destroyed."

"I know but I'd like to see it anyway. I doubt that we could use it but... just let me try."

"Of course we would, Harry." Ginny said in a small voice

"Thanks, if that doesn't work then we could always try Hogwarts, the room of requirement."

"But Harry if the school does reopen then we'll be seen, and if it's not then it will be almost impossible to get in." Hermione pointed out.

"I know, but I couldn't think of anywhere else."

"What about Grimmauld Place?" Ron asked

"Too many people would know where we are, it's not that I don't trust anyone in the Order, but if one of them is captured they could be forced to tell Voldemort where we are."

"I swear your just saying the name to annoy us now; you didn't need to say it then."

"Oh Ron shut up, I say the name, why can't you?" Hermione said now starting to sound quite irritated

"Yeah that's because you are... well, no offence but your muggle born," Hermione glared at him.

"And what's that supposed to mean?"

"It's just that I've been told not to say the name for, well all my life. You've only been scared of it for six years, it's different."

"So you don't think I've got 'proper wizard feeling' don't you, your no better than Draco Malfoy," Harry could see that this could possibly turn into one of the worst fights that Ron and Hermione had ever had so he quickly intervened,

"Was that all you wanted to say Hermione because I've got to check that my dress robes still fit," he had of course no need to check this as the Weasleys had given him a new set of dress robes for his birthday but it was the quickest way he could think of to defuse the situation.

"Oh, no I also meant to say something else...that's right. I've been thinking that if you just go on the look out for the Horcruxes then people will start to notice that you're not doing anything for a while, and _Voldemort_," she threw a dirty look a Ron, who managed to resit the urge to react, "Might start to get suspicious. So what I was thinking is that we should try to join the Order, and be seen fighting Death Eaters, you know appearing in the Prophet regularly and that might make Voldemort think that you are trying to fight back, rather that covertly trying to destroy him."

"It's a good point, but if I spend all my time helping the Order then I wouldn't get much of a chance to search for the Horcruxes would I?"

"Oh we wouldn't have to be always supporting the Order, just occasionally; just as long as when we do we are featured in the papers when we do."

"I don't know Hermione, we don't want to be in more danger than we have to be," Ron said clearly worried about the promise they had made to his mother.

"I'll think about it, alright?"

"It is, now if you want to check your robes then we'll get going."

"What? Oh yeah, thanks."

The rest of the day passed without incident, unless you counted Mrs Weasley going berserk at Fred when he tried to put bouncing beans in the cake and Hermione treating Ron very coldly, no doubt due to his comment about her parentage. Everyone went to bed quite early as they knew that the next day would be a hectic one. Harry woke early and wondered if he should get into his new dress robes straight away, he decided he should. He dug around in the first cabinet of his trunk until he found them, they were pale scarlet and looked quite good, he pulled them on and looked at himself in the mirror,

"Very handsome," it said. Then he grabbed his wand off the bedside table and attempted to flatten his hair with a range of spells, none of which had the least effect against his stubborn hair, he shrugged and after pulling on a pair of shoes went downstairs.

Mr Weasley was applying liberal amounts of a cream that was labelled _Madam Helga's Magical Make-Up_ to Bill's face when Harry arrived in the kitchen, Harry had not looked a Bill closely for some time, the scars were still just visible under the makeup and Bill was groaning at his reflection in the mirror over his father's shoulder,

"It'll be fine," both Mr Weasley and the mirror were saying. Charlie and Percy entered the gargantuan kitchen a minute later, both wearing blue dress robes, Charlie grinned at his eldest brother,

"Nervous old man?" he asked Bill slapping him on the back.

"Old? I'm only a year older than you, you cheeky little..." Bill replied, trying valiantly to grin.

"You'll be fine today Bill," Percy said with the faintest flicker of the old pompousness that he had been suppressing since his return.

"Well that's the best I could do. Sorry Bill but they just want to be seen,"

"Don't worry Bill, Fleur likes your scars, 'Zey show zat my husband is brave'" Harry mimicked Fleur, Charlie laughed, Percy and Mr Weasley glared at Harry reproachfully, but Bill looked slightly more cheerful.

"Thanks Harry, thanks Dad, well I'd better go change." Bill walked up the stairs and almost the same time Fred and George came down them, both hanging on to the other for support and looking distinctly the worse for wear.

"What happened to you two?" Mr Weasley asked in concern.

"Joke shop stuff back fire?" Harry said remembering the twins telling him that they were their own test subjects.

"You didn't drink a lot last night did you?" Percy asked reprovingly.

"Nah," Fred said as he fell into a chair.

"Tried to apparate downstairs." George said as he tried to fall into the chair next to his brother but missing and falling to the floor. Harry tried not to laugh at the twins' fate or George's fall and failed spectacularly and the enormous kitchen rang with his and Charlie's laughter.

"Thanks Harry, Charlie, that was just what my headache needed."

"Well I did warn everyone about the anti-apparition field." Mr Weasley said.  
"When?" both twins said in outrage.

"Last night at dinner."

"When you two were too busy talking to each other about something." Percy said.

"Oh, yeah, that. Well umm dad could you do something to fix our head aches."

"Fine, fine. Though I'm not as good at these sorts of spells as your mother." Mr Weasley pulled his wand from the pocket of his robes and performed a spell to cure head aches.

"Speaking of mum, where is she?"

"She, as she told you last night, is staying at Grimmauld Place for the night with Fleur and the other women."

"Oh I'll bet Fleur just loves that."

"I think she's just happy that you we didn't have to have the wedding there." Then Bill and Ron came downstairs, Bill wearing a set of jet black robes and Ron a blue set. Well that's everyone isn't it, oh except Blake" Mr Weasley said in an attempt to organize things.

"Who?"

"Fleur's father," Bill answered.

"I'm here," said an unfamiliar voice with a heavy French accent from the stairs, and a man with thick black hair, tanned and muscular arms, and several scars, Harry saw one that started on the back of his hand and ran up so that it's end was obscured by his robes, one curved scar that looked as though his left cheek had nearly been ripped off and one that traced his thick right jaw line. "I don't think I've met most of you, except for Arthur and Bill, you must be Charlie," He walked up to Charlie and shook his hand, then turned to Percy "Are you Ron?"

"No, I'm Percy, nice to meet you."

"Percy? I was told that Percy was a total prat who wouldn't be showing up to the wedding and if he did they'd send him away."

"Ah no that was a bit of a misunderstanding, Percy was being controlled by the Imperious Curse," Mr Weasley said quickly, Blake looked shocked but Fred muttered under his breath,

"Doesn't stop him being a prat." Blake walked around shaking hands with each of the Weasley family, and then he came to Harry,

"Well, I think I know who you are, and I think I must thank you."

"Thank me, what for?"

"Blake's an Auror, one of the best in France" Bill said to Harry quietly.

"Don't listen to him, there are others who are much better than me, but because of you fixing up the one who shall remain nameless, I was allowed to go home and see my little girl."

"You were fighting Voldemort?" The whole kitchen seemed to rock but Harry noticed that Ron stayed stock still, "Why?"

"All wizarding countries were asked to provide one Auror to help in the battle with...him. Different perspective on things."

"Well we better be going, the guests will start arriving any second." They all trooped outside where indeed some people were already starting to trickle through the gates, every time a person walked up to the gates there was a flash of blue light and the gates opened and a grey-transparent barrier rose up behind them.

There was a constant stream of visitors and due to the slow entrance rate there were always more waiting at the gate, Harry saw every member of the Order of the Phoenix, and several other people including Hagrid and Grawp who were being given just a wide a birth now as they had at Dumbledore's funeral. From the way that Blake greeted most of the other guests Harry assumed that they were Fleur's guests, Harry recognised at least one of the other girls who had come to Hogwarts to enter the tri-wizard tournament. After standing around with the Weasleys, greeting the arrivals, Harry was told to go and find his seat.

Harry followed the thick crowd down to the small paddock that was usually used to play Quidditch. Hundreds of seats had been set up all in a circle facing the centre with four pathways at each of the points of the compass. When Harry reached the front of the queue waiting to be seated he saw Dobby asking people for their names, when it was Harry's turn Dobby didn't wait for the name but said,

"Mr Harry Potter's seat is," He clapped his small hands, and a chair in the second row from the centre suddenly glowed gold for a second then returned to normal, "There." Harry thanked Dobby and went to his seat, He was seated next to Lupin who was sitting next to Tonks, who's hair was today a waist length silver so that she could have passed for Fleur's sister, on Harry's other side was an empty chair then one of the isles. Now Harry could see what was in the centre of the circle, there was about a five foot diameter white ring that appeared to be made of low fire, Harry winced as he remembered Tonks' white flames and the damage they had done to him, then there was a three foot gap between the flames and the first row of seats.

"Wotcha, Harry, been practicing those spells?" Tonks said across Lupin

"A bit, I don't know if you heard about the attack on the Ministry but Poliltrium sure helped me there."

"Of course we heard about the attack, it was all over the paper. Terrible thing, but Remus might have things easier now," She replied.  
"What do you mean?"

"Now Umbridge is dead, poor woman."

"Poor woman?"

"Oh Harry, no matter how bad a teacher she was, no matter how much she hated werewolves, she surely didn't deserve death,"

"Remus, are we talking about the same person, this is the woman who ordered a dementor attack on me as a way to silence me,"

"What?." Lupin looked shocked but before Harry could elaborate the chair beside him glowed gold for a second and he looked around to see who was going to take the seat next to him. After a second Harry saw Hermione extract herself from the crowd, all working against each other to get to their assigned seats, and head for the seat, she was wearing a truly stunning set of silver-blue robes and her hair was sleek and shiny as it had been at the Yule Ball, she sat down and smiled.

"Hello Harry, Remus, Tonks. Perfect weather isn't it."

"I think it is fantastic, at least we don't have any of that foul mist that the dementors are creating." Remus said brightly.

"You look great Hermione, more _Sleek Easy_?" Harry asked, Hermione smiled,

"You have no idea how long it takes to get all this straight." she said patting her shiny hair, "I was up at almost six o'clock just so I could get ready." there was a small noise from the centre of the circle. "Oh, it's starting," Hermione said excitedly.

A few people hurried to get to their seats and then there was music, beautiful music, Harry had heard this music once before, it was a Veela song. Then Harry saw, walking up the isle that was facing them, Fleur, the sight took Harry's breath away, her silver hair was flowing behind her, though there was no wind, her white robes were perfect in every respect and she was wearing a silver tiara that did go just as wonderfully with her hair as Mrs Weasley had predicted. Flanking her were Ginny and Gabrielle both wearing pale gold robes but though Harry knew he should be admiring Ginny he could not help but let his eyes wander back to Fleur.

Finally Harry was able to draw his eyes away from her to look up the isle opposite her where he saw Bill walking with Charlie and a wizard Harry had never met before. Then Harry saw Mr and Mrs Weasley walking up the isle that was facing east and Fleur's parents walking up the opposite one. When they reached the centre circle Bill and Fleur walked in and met in the middle while the two bridesmaids and groomsmen walked in and stood at north east, south east, south west and north west points of the circle and Mr and Mrs Weasley and Mr and Mrs Delecour stayed outside on the edge of the circle. Fleur and Bill faced Mr and Mrs Weasley and bowed then each turned on the spot and bowed to Mr and Mrs Delecour. There was a slight pause then Blake and Mrs Weasley started to walk around the circle stopping when they reached the opposite side to which they started on, so that the two fathers and two mothers were standing beside each other.

Bill and Fleur turned around again so that they were facing Blake and Arthur who said together,

"William Arthur Weasley, is this the woman who you will spend the rest of your life with, through everything that may come to pass?" Bill looked at Fleur and said,

"It is." Then Fleur and Bill turned again to face the two women,

"Fleur Jasmine Delecour, is this the man who you will spend the rest of your life with, through everything that may come to pass?" Fleur gave a magnificent smile, worthy of Gilderoy Lockhart before replying,

"It is." Then Mrs Weasley raised her wand just as Mr Weasley did on the other side, there was a small note like bird song and suddenly the wands were connected by a long white ribbon that stayed in the air like a bridge over the couple in the centre, Then Mr and Mrs Delecour raised their wands and with another small note a red ribbon appeared connecting the wands, the two ribbons crossed at the exact middle of the circle. With a third note of bird song the ribbons disconnected from the wands and, still staying in the air, began to wind themselves around each other until there was only one ribbon, with red and white stripes, then the ribbon fell gracefully shrinking as it did so, then it started to snake its way around Bill and Fleur's hands, after doing one figure eight around bill's right hand and Fleur's left it stopped still for a second then tied itself in a knot.

"You are now, and always will be, husband and wife," said all eight people around the couple.

There was a storm of applause which Harry joined in enthusiastically. After a few minutes the applause died away and Mr Weasley spoke,

"Thank you all for attending the wedding of my son and my new daughter in-law, now lunch will be served." He waved his wand and the chairs, complete with their owners, started to rearrange themselves Harry and Hermione were whisked away from Lupin and Tonks then Harry saw Blake raise his wand and wave it, Small tables for four or five appeared around the field, Harry and Hermione's chairs placed them at one such table with Ron and an empty chair.

Ron, who had been in the front row with the rest of his family, gaped at Hermione. Hermione pretended that she did not notice this and turned to Harry,

"That was a beautiful ceremony wasn't it Harry."

"Yeah it was, so I guess Fleur got her wish of a beautiful wedding. I was expecting it to be more like a muggle wedding though."

"Yes, funny really to think that long ago, muggles and wizards celebrated matrimony in the same way, but over time we've drifted apart in opposite directions."

"Hermione, you look fantastic." Ron said simply.

"Thank you Ronald." She replied rather stiffly. Ron looked hurt and was apparently about to speak when Ginny came and took the spare chair at their table.

"Oh, I hope I get married with a ceremony like that."

"You'll have to marry a pure-blood then." Ron said to her but almost before he had finished speaking Hermione had slammed her fist down on the table.

"Excuse me, I have to use the bathroom." and she got up and marched off.

"Ron you are the biggest prat in the world, you officially outrank Malfoy now as all time jerk!" Ginny said forcefully.

"What did I do? All I said was..."

"I know what you said you idiot."

"Well it's true; you can't have that ceremony if both sets of parents aren't wizards and witches. How would you do the ribbon thing?"

"Who cares, now Ron I want you to go and find Hermione and say you're sorry."

"I can't go and find her now, she probably on the loo."

"You know Ron; I actually thought you'd grown up after last year. But amazingly you still prove me wrong." And she moved got up and sat in Hermione's empty chair so that she didn't have to sit next to Ron.

Hermione didn't return from the bathroom for some time and when she did she walked straight past their table, conjured a chair and sat with Hagrid and Grawp at their massive table. Harry noticed her eyes were rather red and puffy, clearly Ron had noticed this too because he looked slightly guilty and was about to rise from the table when Bill who was sitting at the head table stood up (so did Fleur due to the fact that their hands were still tied together) and tapped his goblet with his wand to get people's attention. "I know that this is a little out of the ordinary but I want to say a few words before the other speeches begin. You may have noticed that there are empty places around the tables, this is deliberate. There are people who are missing from this group today and I would just like to mention those them. At the table back there." Bill pointed to a table where Kingsley, Elphias Doge, Hestia Jones and and an empty chair were placed, "Should be Emmaline Vance, I would like you all to raise you glasses to the memory of Emmaline Vance." Everyone did so and murmured her name quietly. "At this table here," He pointed to a table where Lupin, Tonks, and Stugis Podmore and two empty seats, "Should be Mundugus Fletcher. Dung can't be with us a the moment because he is unfortunately in Azkaban, bad habit of his to be there." there was a titer of laughter, "And Sirius Black," all laughter died at once, "Once again I would like us to drink to the memory of Sirius black, a fine and innocent man." They did. "And at this table," he looked at the gap where Hermione had been sitting and looked puzzled for a second, to cover the pause Harry called,

"Cedric Diggory"

"Yes, yes." said Bill, still looking slightly confused "To Cedric Diggory, a man who left us too early" the crowd muttered Cedric's name, just as the students at Hogwarts had once done. "At and at this table in front of me," He gestured to one of the tables at the front where Mad Eye Moody, and Professors McGonagall and Flitwick were sitting, "Should be Albus Dumbledore, the greatest wizard of our time." the whole crowd raised their goblets,

"To All-But Dumb-Bell-Door" Roared Grawp over the mutterings of

"To Albus Dumbledore" which caused everyone to jump and Hermione to squeak in fright.

"There is only one more empty seat, and it is at this very table," He gestured to an empty seat on the other side of his parents, "And that is the seat that should belong to my Godfather, but he was unfortunately delayed in his trip round the world to get here."

Crack! Even as Bill was speaking the sound of someone apparating reverberated through the crowd then there was a blue flash and the gates swung open.

* * *

AN Oh thank god it's finally finished. I apologize for the length of time that it took to write this chapter, not only was this the time that I decided to make a really long chapter, but my inspiration decided to run away on me, I went to my cousins house for a week (probably the cause of my misplaced inspiration, blame my cousin not me.) became temporally addicted to that most addictive of drugs "World of Warcraft" (Blame my cousin again.) realised that I only had a week left of my precious holidays, had my computer go through a temporary bout of deadness, decided to write a one-shot that may or may not be a later chapter in this fic, had this sight have a temper tatrum at me and not be able to submit a document and spent several days trying to prepare for a bush fire that could have very easily destroyed my house (but didn't). So now I have struggled against my all these elements to complete my eighth chapter you can all at least struggle to hit that "GO" button and find something to say about my story in your reviews, (what I would really like is people to say whether or not they believe any of my twists (Dursleys and Percy) are plausible or not.)

Soon I plan to post this fic at Fition alley in order to get a wider fan base wich means that I am slowly going through the chapters and correcting the spelling and grammer so that it will be accepted.

Thank you to all the kind people who have reviewed so far, to all of you who I engaged through 'story pimping' I apologise, (being a relative newbie to the area of Fan Fics I don't know whether that is frowned upon or not, but it feels scummy).

I decided to hold the exerts from Important Magical Objects of History until the next chapter as this one is already nearly ten thousand words

Ha. The D.O.G.'s. You can't tell who's going into their final year and has had to listen to people going on and on about that sort of stuff.

And now I leave you, while I write my next chapter, to ponder over who it is that opened the gate, I give you these clues to aid, or confuse, you in your guessing. The person was someone who was mentioned in Bill's speech. You have heard this person's name before in my fan fic.

PS if any one sees my inspiration could you please mail it to me, it is rather inconvenient being without it

PPS. I would just like you all to take a guess at my gender, just from the way I write, I have been described as both he and she in reviews so next time you reveiw just say if you think I am M or F.

Axerton


	9. Axerton

A/N I'd just like to point out before we start this chapter that no character in this fic is a Gary Stu, no matter how much it might look like it. I use the name of the character you will shortly meet because I love the name and I am determined to use it in every story I write. Anyway, if I wanted to create a wizarding Gary Stu then he would not be anything like this character, read my profile if you want to know what a real me would look like in the magical world.

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Chapter nine: Axerton

A man walked through the gates, he wore a thick brown travelling cloak with his hood covering his face, he raised a tanned hand and casually knocked the hood down, revelling a face with hazel eyes, short brown hair and a lopsided smile.

"Sorry I'm late. Went and splinched myself in Belgium wouldn't you know," he called in an accent that Harry vaguely recognized as Australian from some of the Muggle movies he had seen.

"Axerton!" yelled Mr Weasley and Kingsley together.

"You don't think I'd miss my own Godson's wedding did you? It'd take more than having over a hundred miles separating my head and my body to stop me seeing this."

Bill raised a hand to silence the mutterings that were flitting around, "Everyone, this is my Godfather, Axerton. He is an Australian, who met my father when he was over here to aid the fight on You-Know-Who last time. Well Axe, if you would please come and be seated, just here." Bill pointed at the seat that was beside his father.

Harry watched the man closely as he walked between the scattered tables, occasionally nodding to one or two of the members of the Order. Harry guessed that this must be Kingsley's friend, the one who would teach be teaching him Occlumency. Harry was so absorbed by watching the man as he sat down that he didn't notice Charlie get to his feet, but then Charlie started to speak and Harry flicked his eye's to the best man. Charlie's speech was touching but, to be blunt, boring. It contained a few interesting anecdotes about Bill, including the time that he had tried out for the Gryffindor Quid ditch team, an incident that had resulted in falling off his broom and hanging on for dear life to one of the goal hoops. After that the fathers of the Bride and Groom both made speeches which ran along much the same lines as Charlie's had. Then, as the guests started to mingle, Harry deliberately walked over to where Mad-Eye Moody, Kingsley, Mr Weasley and Axerton were all deep in conversation.

"Terrible thing," Axerton was saying, "I don't trust the lot of them."

"Their not all bad Axe." Mr Weasley said carefully.

"Arthur, how can you say that after what that... thing did?"

"But hating them all just because of the actions of one..." At this point Remus Lupin and Tonks walked over to them.

"Arthur, they are Werewolves! Dark creatures. In my opinion they should be put down the morning after they're bitten."

"Hello," Lupin said, "My name's Remus Lupin, I don't think we met last time." Axerton spun around,

"Remus, glad to meet you, I think that Arthur mentioned you in one of his letters, very complimentary," Mr Weasley tried to cut in but couldn't fit in the words, "Now there was something unusual about you if I remember... you are a..." Axerton's face paled, as memory clearly came rushing back. "Ah... Well I've gone and put my foot in it, haven't I."

"I must admit I've had better first impressions of people," Lupin said with a small smile, "But I wont pretend that I've never heard it before."

"I'm so sorry, I...well after hearing about what happened to young Bill..."

"Quite understandable. I myself was rather discussed with my own...species...if you can call it that, after that night."

At this point someone bumped into Harry and he was pushed forward into the group of people who he had been listening to.

"Merlin's beard, Harry Potter in person!" Axerton's hazel eyes performed the usual flick upwards to the scar not quite hidden by his long fringe, but unlike most people who remember themselves after a second and forced their eye's down, he continued to stare, then with some trepidation walked forwards, flicked aside the dark hair and with a shaking finger he slowly traced the thin scar, "Fascinating," he muttered slowly. Harry's dislike for Axerton, already high due to indignation on behalf of Lupin, was increasing rapidly. "You must forgive me, for some years now I have studied the darkest magic yet created. And of cause the spell that left that mark is possibly the worst of them all. Maybe if I was to study that scar it might give me some indication as to how to block Avada Kadavra."

"No need Axe. This young lad's beaten you to it." Kingsley said enthusiastically.

"Well of course he has, but he was only a year old and I doubt he can remember how he did it."

"No," Harry said, "I've found out how to block it. A corporeal Patronus."

"I beg your pardon."

"A fully formed Patronus can stop Avada Kadavra." Axerton's mouth fell open, he tried several times to close it, but was unsuccessful each time.

"You mean to say, that the counter curse already exists?" Axerton brought his open palm up to his forehead with some force, "And all this time I've been trying to invent a new spell to do it. Fool! Fool! Fool!"

"Well, it seems that Harry has taught you something, perhaps you could repay him in kind." Kingsley said.

"Pardon?"

"Harry's been looking for someone to teach him Occlumency, I thought you would do nicely."

"Oh of course, Occlumency, Legilimency, anything like that, I'd be glad to help. We could start tomorrow if you'd like?"

Harry hesitated, he had been planing on leaving the Burrow the next day, but maybe they could leave after one lesson, it couldn't hurt after all, "Yeah, alright."

"Perfect. Gives me something to do at any rate."

At this moment Bill and Fleur (who were still bound at the wrist) walked over to the group.

"Axerton! Merlin's beard you made it, I haven't seen you since I was five. How are you."

"Couldn't be better. Actually that's a lie. The Geelong Giants are doing appallingly in the Quidditch season, but apart from that I couldn't be better. I take it you got someone to fill in for me did you?"

"Oh yes, Jeremy's an old friend of mine from Egypt, fitted in perfectly," Bill said pointing out the other Groomsman.

Harry extracted himself from the conversation, thinking he would go and find Ginny, but before he had found her a cry came up from the crowd, "Presents!" Then the whole crowd seemed to be echoing the first cry and eventually Bill and Fleur had managed to force their way through the crowd to the raised table where a small mountain of rapped presents had been placed. Bill and Fleur each grabbed for a present with their unbound hand, then realizing that the other had a different present dropped the one they were holding, Bill gave a laugh and reached forward for the present right in front of them. Fleur nodded once and they opened the present clumsily each only able to use one hand. What was revealed, when they finally managed to open it, was a large clock, on which Harry could just see two handles, one with Bill written on it pointing to _home_, the other with Fleur pointing to _Visiting Relatives._

"Thanks Mum!" Bill said enthusiastically.

"It's nothing dear, I had it made less sensitive to mortal peril so that it will actually move around at these times."

Bill and Fleur went back to the presents. It took them almost two hours before they had finished opening them all by which time they had accumulated several books on basic house hold spells and charms, a small pile of dark detectors, a gold framed mirror that spoke with a quick silvery voice, a large eagle owl (from Harry and Hermione), a glass and marble chess set (from Ron though financed by Fred and George) as well as innumerable other things. Then the party got back into full swing.

Harry wasn't sure why, perhaps it was because of having had a large party only three day's before or possibly that he knew his beautiful excuse for staying at the Burrow was about to be removed, but he didn't feal much like joining in with the celebrations. He wondered how long they would last and vaguely if it would be rude to leave this early. Eventually he decided he should stay and so he continued his search for Ginny. He could not see her, but Ron's lanky profile was evident, over the heads of the crowd, near a table that had been laden with drinks. Harry forced his way over.

"Have you seen Ginny?" he asked noisily over the talk of the throng.

"She's over there." Ron pointed indistinctly with his left hand spilling some of the contents of his Goblet of mead out of his right, "With Hermione."

"Sorry where was Hermione?"

"With Hagrid." Harry was about to walk away when Ron continued. "Do you know what she said to me?" Ron's voice was slightly slurred, he had obviously been drinking most of the time that Bill and Fleur had been opening their presents. "She said, that she wished they had invited Krum today. VICKY. Why the bloody hell would she want that grouchy git here today?"

"I have no idea Ron." This was a complete lie he knew that Hermione had only brought up Krum to stir Ron up, or at least he hoped that was why she had said it.

Harry left Ron to continue drinking and fought his was towards the massive figures of Hagrid and Grawp. Hagrid was in deep conversation with Charlie Weasley, but Harry spotted Hermione and Ginny alone sitting at an abandoned table. Hermione had her hands on the table and her head on Ginny's shoulder,

"Why does he have to be such an insensitive pig?" he just managed to hear her sob. Harry really wasn't sure he could deal with Hermione crying at the moment, but he didn't fancy going back to Ron and being talked to about Victor Krum or what ever else the mead induced Ron would talk about. So instead he wandered aimlessly about, being drawn into conversations with the order or being goggled at by members of Fleur's family.

Eventually darkness started to fall and Harry noticed that Fred, George and Hagrid had vanished. Soon after this Mrs Weasley called Bill and Fleur up to the raised platform. They climbed up and then held their bound hands up to the sky. There was a slight pause where they just look rather stupid, then the platted ribbons began to glow, first red, then white, then bright blue and finally pale gold, there was the slightest pause then the ribbon simply disappeared. Then everyone beneath them roared,

"TO THE BRIDE AND GROOM."

There was a sound of hooves and Harry turned to see Hagrid, walking with two brilliantly white unicorns in tow, who inturn were pulling a golden carriage. The masses in front of the platform parted to let the bridal carriage through. Hagrid led them up to the couple and then stepped aside, so that they could step into the carriage. Harry walked silently up to Hagrid,

"How did you catch the unicorns? I thought they didn't trust men."

"They don't, but I'm a special case see, unicorns have amazing intellectual powers, they can distinguish one human from another, 'nd that's more than most goblins can do. I've been able to help 'em, one of them broke it's leg in the forest, dunno 'ow, but I fixed it up alright and now I'm…well callin' in a favour like." Harry was impressed.

By this time Bill had helped Fleur into the carriage and stepped in himself and, with out a word from either of them, the unicorns set off. They walked in a small circle, then, when they were facing the right way, they broke into a trot. Suddenly something pink shot from the entrance of the Burrow into the sky. People gasped and screamed, but then with a small pop the pink rocket had turned into a large, still pink, baby cupid, bow in hand. It hung in the sky for a second before winking at the spot where it had come from then let it's arrow fly. It shot straight towards Bill and Fleur, then when it was less than a foot away it exploded and there was a shower of pink stars that filled the entire paddock. Harry realised as one of the pink stars landed on his hand that they weren't actually stars but glowing pink love hearts. Bill and Fleur were laughing and waving back at the crowd, and, just visible by the light of the fire work, were Fred and George standing in the door way.

Mrs Weasley ran towards them and pulled them both into a obviously tight hug, and started sobbing into Fred's shoulder.

"Stop it Mum! You wouldn't want anyone to think your proud of us would you." George said loudly.

"I am, oh boys, I am."

"We know Mum," Fred said in complete earnest.

Most of the guests trickled out of the gates, but a few had been invited to stay the night at the burrow, including Axerton, Fleur's parents and Lupin and Tonks. Harry who was not remotely tired after watching Fred and George's fire works found himself almost carrying Ron up the stairs, Harry hoisted Ron through his door and pushed him onto the bed, Ron was asleep before he hit the covers. He turned around and went into his own room, and changed into his pyjamas, but realised that he was still not tired. So he rummaged around in the second cabinet of his trunk until he found the book he was looking for. _Important Magical Objects of History,_ he flicked it open and looked at the index. To his pleasure there was an entire section about the founders and their possessions. He turned to it and saw a large Hogwarts coat of arms. The next page depicted a tall pleasant faced woman stroking a large badger; above it was the familiar yellow emblem of Hufflepuff house. The photo on the following page depicted something Harry recognised immediately, the golden goblet that Riddle had presumably stolen.

_Helga Hufflepuff_

_The goblet of-_

_Also known as: Sangreal_

_The rumours about the suspected powers of this cup are many and varied, from that anyone who drinks from it will be transformed, for one hour, into a badger through to the belief that contents would be turned to poison if anyone of impure heart was to drink of it. Although these powers have never been tested due to the fact that for the last three centuries the goblet had resided in the private collection of collections of Huffelpuff's descendents, until it went missing after the death of it's previous owner; Hepzibah Smith. Though many authorities believe, due to the evidence of Helga's descendents and the precise diary entries of Rowena Ravenclaw, that any water that touches the gold incrust bottom of the goblet is turned instantly to the elixir of life, previously only thought to be producible by the use of the Philosopher's Stone. It is known however that Helga herself only used the elixir to heal injuries and curses, and never to prolong her own life. In fact the only know use of is magical powers during her lifetime was after the four battled with the dark witch Libitina when Godric Gryffindor was mortally wounded. In the years that followed her death the goblet was kept at Hogwarts, during which time an ambitious student attempted to steal the cup, but when he drank from it he was poisoned and no antidote could be found. From this we must come to the conclusion that the cup could only be used when there was great need for it, or possibly that the rightful owners permission was required. _

Harry turned the page and found more items that related to Helga Hufflepuff but due to the fact that he was confident that he knew that the cup had been used to make a Horcrux he did not see it as necessary to read them. Eventually he found a page showing the red Gryffindor lion and a moving portrait of a tall red haired man brandishing a sword back and forth. He turned and found yet another familiar object pictured.

_Godric Gryffindor_

_The sword of –_

_Also know as: Snakebane _

_This goblin forged sword was presented to Godric as a present for his coming of age from his father the legendary swordsman Galahad Gryffindor. When, a year later, Galahad was killed by a serpent Godric swore on the tomb of his father that the sword would only ever be used to eradicate evil. Godric used this sword many times. Some of the most famous uses are the namesake of the sword, the slaughtering of Galahad's killer, a sea serpent that dwelt in the lake of Griffindor's property, now the location of the Hogwarts' grounds, the faithful Runespoor that served Libitina and the killing of Slytherin's pet adder which brought about the final splitting of the Hogwarts' founders and eventually Godric's own death and the ending of the line of Gryffindor. In more recent times the blade has been used by The Boy Who Lived, Harry Potter, in the destruction of Slytherin's legendary monster that dwelled in the Chamber of Secrets at Hogwarts, a Basilisk, though it is unknown how Potter gained entry to the Chamber of Secrets or gained possession of the sword when it has, since the death of it's owner some two millennia ago, resided in the office of the Headmaster. _

Harry was shocked to see his own name written in print like this, but was just as surprised that the author had known about the battle in the chamber but not known about the finer details. Once he finished the page he flicked over and saw yet another object he knew.

_The hat of-_

_Also know as: The Sorting Hat._

_It is unknown where this hat originated but there are three possibilities that most experts have speculated on and continue to believe. One that Godric's mother made the hat for her son, as was a common practice of the time. Another is that Godric, who would have been quite rich for his time had it made up by a professional, though this is unlikely as such extravagance would have been out of character for him. The third possibility was that it had belonged to his father, and was taken from the body after Godric sought his revenge. The story of the Sorting Hat is well known; after the battle with Libitina, when Godric started to realise the prospect that he, as well as his co-founders, were mortal and one day they might not be around to choose which students were in which house. After a long set of councils between the four it was decided that they would create something to divide the students, rather than, as Hufflepuff would have had it, simply selecting someone to follow in their footsteps. A complicated series of spells performed by each of the four gave the Hat, not only enough mental capacity to read the minds of those wearing it and to choose where they belong, but to give it a personality of its own. For some unknown reason the Sorting Hat has resisted all attempts to make it magically immune to the passing of time, resulting in the hat being tattered and covered in patches. The Sorting Hat also resides in the Headmaster's office and is only taken out once a year to be tried on by each new student of the prodigious magic school._

Harry watched the picture of the sorting hat as it clearly gave it's yearly start of term song. He had never considered the possibility that one of the shards of Voldemort's sole had resided in Hogwarts, had even touched his own head twice. He shook his head, it was not possible, Voldemort had never had a chance to explore the castle for objects, and even if he had, the fact that Voldemort had laid such heavy protection over the fake locket, as he had, by the account of Dumbledore, for the ring of Marvolo Gaunt, pointed to the fact that he the other Horcruxes would be well hidden and protected, not sitting on the mantelpiece of Dumbledore's own office for so long. He continued his reading.

The next page showed a tall monkey like wizard, with a beard that touched his knees and a large red and green snake coiled around his shoulders. Above his head a silver shield was emblazoned with the green serpentine S. Harry flicked over the page, it showed a silver bracelet that carried a large fang. Not being terribly interested in this amulet he turned the page and saw the golden locket, exactly as he had seen around Merope's neck.

_The locket of-_

_The stories that surround this locket are as varied as that of those for Sangreal. Salazar always swore that he had made it himself and placed heavy enchantments upon it. However as we read the dairies of Ravenclaw we see that she and many others doubted this story, and believed it to have been stolen from Salazar's elder brother Serpious out of jealousy. Evidence to support this theory though is scarce due to the fact that Serpious was killed when the snake he was conversing with attacked without apparent provocation and the snake venom had killed him before he was found. As for the heavy enchantments placed upon this, only the wildest guesses can be made. Some suspect that the wearer will be imbued with the magical knowledge of Parsletongue, the language of snakes, while others believed that one who could open it would be allowed a brief glimpse into the mind of it's previous owners. Since the death of Salazar this locket had resided in the private collections of his descendents until it was apparently stolen and sold to a widely respected wizarding artefacts shop, it was then sold into the collection of Hepzibah Smith. The locket also went missing after her death. _

Even as Harry read this his eyes became heavy but he forced himself to read to the finish of the page. He tried to slowly turn the page but he fell asleep before even taking in the picture.

Harry was woken early next morning when someone decided to rip back the curtains on his window. Harry blinked up at the fuzzy blob with a splash of red on top as he searched, one handed, for his glasses on his bedside cabinet.

"Looking for these?" The blob asked, using Ginny's voice.

"Thanks." Harry said as he put them on and the figure of Ginny appeared before him.

"Umm… don't you think that going to sleep with a book is kind of Hermione's area of expertise?" Harry laughed as he realised that _Important Magical Objects of History_ was still open next to him. He shut it quickly and put it back in his trunk before closing the lid.

"Why are you up so early?" Harry then questioned Ginny.

"Well, it was to make sure that you didn't run off without us."

"Ginny you actually thought that I would abandon you?"

"Well, no, not really." But she still looked slightly guilty.

"Look, don't worry I'm not going anywhere yet, I've got an Occlumency lesson all planned up with that Axerton bloke."

"Oh, well then, I'll go down and make you some breakfast. Don't take too long to get dressed."

When Harry did get down stairs, correct to instructions, not having taken too long, he was surprised to see that Ginny wasn't the only one awake. Axerton and Tonks were both sitting at one of the tables in the, now slightly reduced kitchen, and Dobby was standing in a corner near the door.

"Dobby, why are you still here?"

"Dobby has to wait to be paid Harry Potter sir."

"How much are you charging for this Dobby?" Harry said putting a hand inside his navy blue robes and fingering his money bag.

"Dobby should charge twenty two galleons for the day's work sir but as he is not to take any for himself it is only twenty." Harry pulled out his leather bag and counted out twenty Galleons,

"Here you go Dobby, and not a word to any of the Weasleys about this, OK?"

"Yes Harry Potter sir." Harry then grabbed a extra Galleon and threw it to the elf,

"And buy your self a couple of nice pairs of socks with that."

"Thank you Harry Potter." Dobby said, his eye's starting to leak. He picked up one galleon from the table and put it in a pocket of his football shorts, then waved his hand at the rest of the pile and it vanished. Then with a loud crack he was gone.

Tonks who had almost been falling asleep at the table started at the sound of the house elf vanishing.

"Oh morning Harry," she yawned.

"Morning Tonks. Why are you up so early?"

"Guard duty, Axe agreed to help me with it though. It's dead boring otherwise."  
"Harry, good morning, I believe we have an Occlumency lesson planned for today don't we? Well why don't we get it over with now?" Axerton seemed to be far too awake for the time of morning.

"Oh actually, I was going to give you a combat lesson now Harry," Tonks said still half asleep.

"Oh well, Harry you can chose what to do first." Harry thought back to his Occlumency lessons with Snape. He remembered how tiering they had been, and he realised that he might not be able to cope with a combat class after an hour of having his mind pried into.

"Umm, I'll have the combat training first, if that's alright Axerton."

"Of course, of course."

"Well, why don't we go outside? more room there," Tonks suggested.

"Okay." He turned to Ginny who was cooking some eggs, "Ginny I'm just going outside."

They trooped outside, Axerton in tow.

"Well first, let's go over what we did last time. Show us Incendiverberis."

Harry pulled his wand from an inside pocket and held it out. He drew a quick sideways figure eight and muttered, "_Incendiverberis_," Bright green flames burst into life from the tip of his wand,

"Very good. Now let's test you with that flick." Harry drew a deep breath and flicked his wand. The flame gave a crack as it flew through empty air. "Excellent. But the problem is that this doesn't give you a very accurate indication of how to use it as a weapon. Hmmm maybe I'll just have to…."

"No, no, Nymphadora, allow me to take the hit." Axerton said, Tonks scowled at him for using her despised first name but then seemed to brighten.

"Thank you Axerton. I give you warning that it could do some damage though."

"I'm no stranger to pain let me assure you." He walked up to Harry. "Give me you best shot."

"Okay, I'm going to show you how to use this efficiently." Tonks said before leaning in to Harry, "Hit him in the middle of the chest and make it hard." Harry obeyed. He pulled the wand back over his shoulder and flicked it forward. It hit Axerton in the centre of his chest and he was knocked heavily to the ground. Axerton was breathing hard, and attempting to blink back tears when Tonks walked up to him,

"Let's get one thing straight, my name is Tonks, not Nymphadora." She turned to Harry, "It was a good shot," she said, then she turned back to Axerton, "He's probably broken at least one rib, hold still." She pointed her wand at him and said "_Episkey_." Axerton twinged a bit but then slowly got up,

"Thank you Ny… sorry Tonks."

"Good, two quick learners, that should make things easier." Axerton gave a reluctant laugh but twinged a bit, "What I was going to say was I'll have to conjure up something to use as target practice." She pointed her wand at Harry, "_Doppelganus._" Then Harry saw something appear about a foot in front of him. He had to look twice before he could be sure it was true. There standing in front of him was… himself, though somehow not himself, Harry looked at the model. It had the same skin colour, black hair, blue robes, it even had a thin scar, but Harry noticed that it had no fingernails, there was no pupil in the eyes, no hair on the arms, and the skin seemed to meld into the robes.

"Wow." Harry said simply after looking at himself for a minute.

"Nice trick that one. Use him as a target." Harry threw Tonks a quizzical look which she interpreted correctly. "Don't worry, no emotions, no pain. Aim for the legs this time."

Harry raised the wand, still with a flaming tip and brandished it at his other self's ankles. There was a loud crack and then the model Harry fell, it's feet broken off from it's legs.

"Don't worry, that won't really happen to people, that just meant that you broke both their ankles, you've done very well. I think that's enough for this spell. _Reparo_." The broken Harry's leg's suddenly reattached to their feet and after a second the whole thing was standing up again. "Ok, just do one test of the Pollatrium spell."

"_Finite_." Harry muttered, and the flame vanished, then he spun his wand and muttered, "_Pollatrium_," and the clone was completely covered in a thick sheet of ice.

"Excellent, well then let's move on. I think we were about to start the impersonal shield charm,"

"Yes."

"Good. Ok this works almost the exact same way as the normal shield charm, but you can use it to defend anyone, not just yourself. And the conjuring is very much the same except that you have to concentrate on the person you are protecting, and the incantation is _Impertrium Protego_."

"_Impertrium Protego_," Harry repeated,

"Got it. Now just try to put a shield in front of the double." Harry thought hard about the thing that Harry suddenly realised looked like a blow up doll of himself,

"_Impertrium Protego_" A light heat haze appeared in front of the double then faded.

"Good, now let's test it. I'll be throwing stunners at you and your double, you have to defend them all with a combination of the shield and the impersonal shield charms.

Tonks started sending stunning spells at the real and fake Harries. To begin with she was going slow and simply taking it in turns so it was easy to stop but then she started to speed up and would change the order regularly. Eventually she was barely drawing breath between each spell and had just sent four in a row at the real Harry, then she sent one at Ginny who had just walked out from the house and was unable to defend herself due to the plate of eggs an bacon in her hand, Harry only just got the shield up in time, but then he realised that another stunner had just hit his copy.

"Well you did really well. With most people the shield charms would have gotten weaker over time and eventually not been strong enough to stop a stunner, but you did really well. Hopefully you wont ever have to defend yourself and someone else at the same time like that again. I suppose we can move on now. Hmm what could we do next?" Tonks said to herself.

"Tonks, I was looking through some books while I was at the Dursleys and I found some spells that could be useful."

"Oh right, what were they?"

"Well there was Hortulgrip."

"Oh don't bother with those sort of things Harry. They look flashy but they aren't really that useful. But were there any others? Tonks said as she gratefully accepted a egg and bacon sandwich from Ginny.

"Yeah, there was a shield breaker curse."

"Ah yes, that one is a very useful spell," she replied thickly though a mouthful of breakfast, "Very handy if you come up against someone who is always using a shield charm, or to break the charm on one of the Weasley's shield hats. Ok now I'll give you a demonstration." She pulled her wand back over her shoulder, just as the picture in _Auror Grade Defence _had done, then flicked her wand forwards. The dummy Harry was sent flying backwards and fell with a crash to the ground. "Now this is a non-verbal spell, you have to concentrate really hard for it, think _Shatrease_. Just let me get the model back, _Mobilicorpus_." The model was lifted into the air and came sawing slowly back to them.

Harry brought his wand back over his shoulder and brought it forwards with a quick movement, at the same time thinking _Shatrease_. The fake Harry was knocked over, but there was not the sudden fly back that had happened when Tonks had used it.

"Not bad, not bad, but you just have to practice a bit." She lifted the copy up again and stood back for Harry to have another go. Harry repeated the spell several times and eventually managed to get his target flying back about two or three metres.

"Well done. Now we'll just try it with a shield charm, see if you can break though it. _Impertrium Protego_." Harry again brought his wand back and brought it forwards quickly, concentrating on the incantation. There was a loud bang and the dummy was knocked off it's feet. "Great, you shattered the shield. I think you've got the hang of that one now. And unless there was anything else that you wanted to look at then I think we can call it a day, and let Axerton give you an Occlumency lesson."

"There is one more quick thing, I know that the members of the order communicate using Patronuses, but how do they send the messages."

"Oh ok that's easy. You just need to think hard about who you want the message to go to, then you summon your Patronus, while your doing it you think of the message you want to give."

"Thanks Tonks, I think that will do for today."

"Right, my turn is it, Harry?" Axerton said walking forwards as Tonks vanished the reproduction of Harry.

"I guess so," Harry said unenthusiastically. He could remember all too well the lessons that Snape had given him.

"Right then, if you learn Occlumency as fast as you learned those spells then this could be a very short lesson." Harry gave a hollow laugh. " Now from what Remus told me last night, you have already been though the basics of Occlumency."

"I suppose you could put it that way," Harry said bitterly.

"Right then I suppose you know that Occlumency is a way of protecting the mind from being invaded by outside forces, the most popular way of doing so is Legilimency." Harry nodded briskly. "Good you also know I take it that there are multiple ways of performing Legilimency, the most common form in battle is by simply maintaining eye contact. Then you can simply gain some insight into the mind, and therefore the planned actions, of those you are facing. But only the most accomplished of Legilimency can do this in a situation as demanding as that of battle. A less complicated form is by simply using eye contact then you can draw emotions and strong memories from the victim. Possibly the most basic, yet the hardest to throw off, is by use of a spell, _Legilimens_."

"What?"

"You didn't know about the different forms of Legilimency?"

"I didn't know, but I had guessed," he said quite calmly but his brain was racing, _so Snape had been using the strongest form of Legilimency on me. Maybe Ron was right, maybe Snape was softening me up for Voldemort._

"Right then, you know that Occlumency is performed by draining your mind of all emotions and thoughts. It might sound simple but it can be incredibly difficult, that why I suggest that beginners think of something like a plain white wall, and really focus on it. Now I'll give you a minute to clear your thoughts then we'll have a go."

Harry stood back, trying to clear his head, but memories of his lessons with Snape kept intruding. Eventually he gave up on trying to clear his head and conjured up an image in his head of a pure white wall, nothing remarkable about it at all.

"Ready?" Axerton asked, Harry nodded while still trying to think of the white wall and nothing else. "Ok, I'll just try with the eye contact, it should be easiest to throw." Harry looked up into Axerton's hazel eyes. After a second Axerton seemed to waver in front of Harry and slowly other images burst forth.

Harry was running from Snape's office when he felt a jar burst on the back of his head. He was watching as a table in front of the lake was consumed in white flames, for a moment it looked like a Phoenix flew from out of the flames but then it was gone, in it's place stood a solid white tomb. He was jumping between Hermione and a twenty foot high Giant. Through all this Harry could just see the white wall in the back ground, as if it was a low quality Muggle projector showing a movie on the wall. But then he was standing in a cave, there was a weird green light coming from the middle. _No you can't watch this, it's a secret, _Harry thought desperately, then he heard himself say, "We couldn't…. We couldn't just try a summoning charm?" Dumbledore stopped as the white wall of Harry's resistance grew stronger,

"Certainly we could, why don't you do it."

"Me? Oh… OK. _Accio_….."

But then the cave disappeared, and Harry was looking at a white wall, which faded to reveal Axerton. With a huge effort Harry pulled his gaze away and looked at the ground.

Then after a second Harry couldn't support his own weight, and he slumped. There was the sound of running footsteps and then he heard Ginny say, "Harry are you alright?"

"Yes, he's fine, it takes a lot of energy to repel someone using only your mind, especially when you've let them get in that far already. You did very well boy, I've never taught anyone who could use just his mind to stop me on their first go. I'll give you a minute or two to catch your breath then we'll have another go."

"No, I'm sorry Axerton, we can't keep going. There are things that I know that you can't find out. Thank you for the lesson, but I've got to go." Harry got to his feat and with out looking at Axerton he walked inside. He heard Ginny running behind him,

"Harry what was that about? It was your idea to have lessons in Occlumency in the first place." Harry didn't answer her. There would be time for explanations later. He walked inside and found Tonks back at the table, obviously having left while Harry was fighting off Axerton.

"Where's Lupin?" He asked her, rather rudely.

"Umm, I think he's upstairs. What's the matter Harry? why aren't you practicing Occlumency?" Harry heard Ginny stop to explain to Tonks the little she knew, But Harry simply charged up the stairs. On the first floor landing he ran into Mr Weasley coming out of his bedroom,

"Which room is Lupin's?"

"Next floor, first on the right. Is there a problem Harry?" Again Harry didn't answer but marched on, When he came to the door that Mr Weasley had directed him to he stopped, calmed himself and knocked.

Harry heard Lupin say, "Give me two seconds." Then he turned around to see Ginny appear on the landing,

"Harry what's going on? Why do you want to talk to Lupin?"

"I'll explain later. What I want you to do is to go and wake up Ron and Hermione, and make sure their ready to go, and get yourself ready too." Ginny looked as though she was about to ask questions but Harry cut her off, "If you want to come with me then just do what I say." She turned and left just as the door behind Harry opened.

"Hello Harry this is very early for a social call, can I do something for you." Lupin, said coming out side wearing a dressing gown.

"Yes, Remus, you know where Godric's Hollow is don't you?"

"Godric's Hollow? I haven't been there for nearly twenty years."

"But you know where it is. You could Apparate me there, couldn't you?"

"Yes, but why would you want to go there? There's nothing there any more from what I've heard."

"It doesn't matter what's there, just suffice it to say I want to go there, today, as soon as possible."

"Alright Harry, just give me a second to get properly dressed." Lupin went back into his room and closed the door. Having no real desire to go down stairs and meet Axerton and have to explain himself, he went upstairs to grab his invisibility cloak.

When he reached the top floor he could distinctly hear Ginny in Ron's room saying, "I don't know Ron. He wouldn't explain it to me. You know how he gets sometimes." Harry ignored them, and walked into his own room and unlocked the right most keyhole of his trunk, grabbed his invisibility cloak and ran downstairs. When he passed Lupin's door he called though it,

"I'll meat you outside Remus." There was a muffled sound of agreement and Harry headed off again. When he reached the first floor landing he put the cloak on and walked quietly downstairs.

"You haven't seen Harry have you?" He heard Axerton saying to Mr Weasley.

"Yes, he was upstairs looking for Remus. Why did you want him?"

"Oh, he's just had an Occlumency lesson, did very well too, but sometimes after being so emotionally beaten up your emotions can run a bit high, you know, maybe do something rash. I better go and check on him." Axerton walked up the stairs and Harry had to flatten himself against the wall not to run into him. Suddenly a new worry occurred to Harry; what happened if Lupin told Axerton about going to Godric's Hollow? Harry still wasn't sure if Axerton could be trusted, so he crept after him.

Axerton met Lupin just coming out of his room, "Ah there you are Remus. Haven't seen Harry have you?"

"I have…" Trusting to the fact that Lupin would be used to seeing people appear from nowhere after his days as a marauder Harry pulled the cloak off his head and shook his head violently. "n't" Lupin added quickly.

"Oh, well if you do see him tell him I'd like to talk to him." And he turned around, only a second after Harry had covered his head again.

When Axerton was out of earshot Lupin asked, "Is there any particular reason your avoiding our Australian friend Harry? I'll admit he has the tact of your average giant, considerably less so than Grawp. But I don't think that that's enough to go to this extent to avoid him."

"I just don't want to have to explain things to him."

"Would you like to explain them to me then?"

"Alright, we were having an Occlumency lesson, and he found a memory of what Dumbledore and I were doing on the night he died."

"Ah, I see. Yes if I remember you are not telling anyone what happened that night, but what does this have to do with going to Godric's Hollow?"

"Nothing, I was always planning on going to Godric's Hollow after my lessons today. Now, I'll meet you outside." So Harry still covered in the invisibility cloak went down the stairs, Lupin not far behind.

Once Harry got outside he threw off his cloak and held out his arm for Lupin,

"Not here, the Anti-Apparition boundary is still up." So together they walked out the gates, once outside the translucent grey wall Lupin held out his arm, "No need to hold too tight, I'm just guiding you." So together they turned and then they were being sucked through the uncomfortable tube. Eventually they appeared at the very edge of a forest,

"Thanks Remus, we can go back now, I just needed someone to guide me here. I'll come back later when I've got some time." Lupin gave Harry a quizzical look, "Remus you must swear to me that you wont tell anyone where you took me today, it might just be the first piece of the puzzle that could lead Death Eaters to me."

"OK Harry if that's what you want. I swear on my life that I will never tell anyone where we went today."

"Thank you."

They arrived back at the Burrow and walked through the gates one at a time. Harry could hear the distinctive sound of Mrs Weasley dissolved in tears in the kitchen. Harry's heart sank, Ginny or Ron must have told her they were leaving, he had been hoping for them to slip away unnoticed by everyone except maybe Lupin. He really didn't want to have to go in there and face Mrs Weasley, and he even thought about using the invisibility cloak to go in and grab his trunk and leave, but he would not be able to indicate to Ron,

Hermione or Ginny what he was doing. He would have to face it like a Gryffindor.

He squared his shoulders and walked through the door, there was a slight pause then Mrs Weasley started bellowing at him, "What is this I hear about you planning on leaving right now? Were you planning on saying goodbye, or even leaving a note?" Harry was shocked. He had never been on the receiving end of one of her rants, but had often seen them administered, mostly to Fred and George. Somehow though it felt nice to know that Mrs Weasley felt that he was family enough to shout herself hoarse at. "I would not have believed it of you Harry. What would have happened if I hadn't heard Ginny telling Hermione to pack her trunk? Would we have just been left to worry? Would you have told anyone? I'm disgusted. In fact I'm strongly tempted to stop you going at all after what you did."

"You can't stop me Mum, I'm of age."

"I can't stop you, can I?" Mrs Weasley almost bellowed, turning to face Ron, "Watch me!" and she pulled out her wand and yelled, "_Dissasium_. There Planning on walking wherever your going? Because you most certainly aren't going to Apparate." Mrs Weasley's rage was such that it was even spilling into uncharacteristic sarcasm.

"I'm sorry Mrs Weasley I'm going to have to ask you to remove the Anti-Apparition jinx. It goes against the International Statute of Freedom, 'No wizard, witch or Muggle may be kept against there will, using magic or physical restraint, unless there is a strong case for them having broken wizarding law.'" Harry spun round and was shocked to see that Hermione had her wand on Mrs Weasley. He expected Mrs Weasley to bellow at Hermione or even jinx her, but instead she simply sank into a chair, she raised her wand slightly and said,

"_Resasioum_." Hermione lowered her wand and continued

"Thankyou, Mrs Weasley you must understand that Harry has to go, and we have to go with him." Mrs Weasley nodded.

Harry continued, "Mrs Weasley, I'm sorry, The truth is I wasn't going to say goodbye, because this won't be goodbye. You will see us again. That I promise." Mrs Weasley nodded silently then stood up and hurried forwards. She grabbed Harry so hard around the middle that he thought she might break several ribs.

"Take good care of yourself Harry dear, and take good care of Ron and Ginny and Hermione too."

"I will Mrs Weasley."

"Oh please, call me Molly."

"OK then, I'll take care if them the best care I can, Molly."

"Thankyou." She turned to Ron, Ginny and Hermione and gave them each a hug.

"Be good you three, and do try to stay safe."

"We will Mum. We'll see you again soon, I promise." Ginny said.

"Well then, I suppose you should go."

Harry turned to Ron, Hermione and Ginny, "Are you three ready?"

"Yes" they chorused,

"Good, take your stuff out to the gates, I'll meet you out there."

Two minutes later, after saying good bye to everyone in the kitchen, barring Axerton, individually Harry was levitating his trunk and Hedwig's cage out to the gate.

"What should we do with these?" Ginny asked pointing at the four trunks, Crookshanks' basket, the two owl cages and the small glass box that Arnold the pigmy puff was carried around in.

"Hmmm, I don't know. We don't know where we are going yet," He thought for a moment, "I know! Send them to Grimmauld Place, the master bedroom, no one can go in there except me."

"Good idea." Hermione said as she waved her wand and the luggage disappeared.

"So where are we going mate?" Ron asked, "Godric's Hollow?"

"Yeah."

"But how will we get there? You can't remember anything about the village, can you?"

"Not until this morning. That's where I went. Lupin took me. OK, Hermione you grab one arm and Ron you take the other."

"What about me?" Ginny asked indignantly.

"I only have two arms, and because these two can Apparate already all I have to do is direct them, but it will be harder with you."

"OK, but if your not back in one minute I'll go and tell everyone where your going."

"Ginny, I wont leave you behind."

Harry turned, and felt Hermione and Ron do so on either side of him. Then he was travelling though the tunnel, not dragging the others merely steering them, then a moment later they appeared outside the same forest that Lupin had taken Harry to that morning. Harry let go of Ron and Hermione's arms and Dissapparated back, grabbed Ginny and took her to the forest.

"Is Godric's Hollow in there?" Ron said pointing to the thick dark forest.

"Um, no Ron I think it's out there." Hermione said, Harry and Ron turned around to see where she was pointing and saw to their surprise a several disintegrating huts and houses.

"It looks abandoned." Ron said, "There's no one here, no one!"

"Do you want to look around?" Hermione asked tentatively.

"What else are we going to do?" Ginny said. So they set off, all the while seeing no-one They passed what looked like an abandoned pub, several of the other buildings were burnt out, a creaking sign over one of the doors was just discernable as having once said _Police Station._

"Muggles must have lived here too," Harry said.

"Of course they did, don't you ever listen to me? I told you, Hogsmeade is the only entire Muggle free town in Brittan."

"When did you tell us that?" Ron asked.

"In our third year."

"Hermione, do you really expect us to remember everything you said to us from nearly four years ago." Hermione merely sniffed and walked off again. Harry rolled his eyes to Ginny and went after her. They walked for a time in silence. When they walked past a small path that went off through some rather dense trees, Hermione, who was in front, made to walk straight past it, but Harry stopped and called her back,

"Hermione, come back, it's this way." She turned and looked at him confused,

"What's this way?"

"My parents house."

"How do you know?"

Harry thought about it, eventually he realised, "I have no idea, just something's telling me it's this way."

"Alright." So the four of them walked along the grass of the path, with thick trees looming on either side of them. But somehow the feel of the place wasn't like that of the Forbidden Forrest, the air wasn't constricted, and it didn't feal like you were being watched from all sides by thousands of tiny, or not so tiny, eyes.

Eventually they came to a clearing, and Harry knew, before he even saw it, that he had found the house that had been his home for his first year alive. Then suddenly he saw it, a pile of burnt and splintered timber all over the clearing, but mostly concentrated on the centre of the clearing, where the house would have once stood. All that remained of the upright structure was the door frame, it's door was hanging off one hinge and there was a large hole in it, but still there was the tarnished golden keyhole.

Harry simply stared at it for several minutes. His mouth was dry, his heart felt as though it had stopped and without bidding an image came up in his mind.

_A tall hooded figure, walked briskly up to the house, he tried the handle, it stuck, he pulled out a wand and brandished it at the door, but that failed too. There was a flash of white light and a large hole was blasted out of the door. Now he put the tip of his wand through the whole, then the door swung neatly open. _

_Voldemort marched in. There was a cry of "Lily take Harry and go! it's him! Go! Run! I'll hold him off- ," from the next room. Voldemort followed the sound of the voice, but as he was about to open the door it swung open of it's own accord. A tall black haired, hazel eyed man was at the door. he fired a curse at Voldemort, but it was deflected into the roof, Voldemort gave a cackle of his high pitched laughter and yelled._

"_Avada Kadavra," but James was ready, he leapt sideways, then the wall in beside the door exploded as James sent another curse though it, Voldemort was clearly not ready and he was knocked off his feet, James emerged from the destroyed wall he raised his wand, but Voldemort sent anther killing curse at his knees, this time James wasn't quick enough. He slumped to the ground without a noise. _

_Voldemort stood up and walked purposefully though the door that James had come from. Behind another door a small baby could be heard crying, Voldemort blasted the door out of his way, and saw a thin red haired woman about to run though the door on the opposite side of the room. Voldemort waved his wand and the door crashed closed in her face. She turned around revealing a bundle of blankets in her arms._

"_Give me the boy," She brought the bundle up so it was shielded from him,_

"_Not Harry, not Harry, please not Harry."_

"_Stand aside, you silly girl, stand aside now."_

"_Not Harry, please no, take me, kill me instead."_

"_Enough,"_

"_Don't kill Harry, please have mercy, have mercy."_

"_Avada Kadavra" Lily fell, dead, still tying to cover Harry. Voldemort gave his wand a flick and the baby, rose out from under Lily's body, a thin tuft of jet black hair on its head, it's eyes closed as it bawled at the top of it's lungs. "Finally true immortality. Avada Kadavra!"_ Then it faded, Harry was not sure if what he had just seen play out in his head was some form of vision, or if it was just his imagination working with the knowledge he had collected about that night.

"Um… Harry, why are you staring at that big mound." Harry started. He had completely forgotten about the other three, so absorbed had he been in looking at the ruined house.

"What?"

"Why are you staring at that big mound of earth? Its not that interesting."

"Can't you see it?"

"Um… See what Harry?" Ginny asked, as if worried for his sanity.

"Oh, you can see your house can't you?" Hermione said, with her usual exited tone when she figured something out.

"Well, what's left of it. Can't you see it?"

"No," Ginny answered.

"It must be under the _Fidelius_ Charm." Hermione explained, as though she was shocked she hadn't figured it out sooner.

"What? So, who's secret keeper?" Harry asked.

"Probably you Harry. No one's ever told you where it is have they?"

"No,"

"So you must be secret keeper. Tell us where it is?"

"OK. The ruins of Lily and James Potter's house are…" Harry though about it, there was no street sign, no house number so he just said, "In this clearing." It was obvious that it had worked as Ron, Hermione and Ginny all looked stunned and shocked. But before any of them could say anything a voice came from the trees behind them.

"I thought you would come here."

* * *

A/N Hmm my chapters seem to be getting longer. Well I have to say there's some important stuff in this chapter, so read it well. Sorry about the cliffy. It just felt right, and I promise this time the speaker is cannon. What do you think of my Voldemort vs Lily James bit, I liked writing that. Anyway reviews are always welcome. Could I also suggest that you put this on Story Alert, because my updating will be sporadic to say the best, due to the fact that I will want to be concentrating on school work at the mo, Y12 sucks. But do not fear faithful readers I will not give up on this story.

B/N (Beta Note) (Shealtiel) I'm so sorry! It's my fault this took so long! Axerton gave his to me 3 full weeks ago and I'm just lazy! And forgetful! I'm so sorry! Please forgive me dear readers! We actually are on holidays already (we both live in Australia), so that shows you how long this took me to do. So sorry! Blame it all on me, not Axerton!


	10. Where It All Started

**Chapter ten: Where It All Started.**

The four of them span around, each drawing their wands. The voice was horribly familiar to Harry, but it wasn't the sneer of Snape nor the high cold voice of Voldemort. It sounded almost like that of, "Dumbledore?"

"Quite correct, but I don't think I am the Dumbledore you were hoping to meet," said the voice from somewhere behind a tree.

"What are you talking about?" Ron asked quickly. "Are you Professor Dumbledore or not?"

"Professor? No. I am no Professor" the voice said, as its owner stepped from behind the closest tree. The figure was tall and thin but the long hair and beard were not the silver of Albus Dumbledore, they were a much duller grey and there were no half moon spectacles resting on the man's nose. "My name is Aberforth."

"Aberforth, wasn't that Dumbledore's brother, the one he said couldn't read? But you're the barman at the Hog's Head?"

"Ron!" Hermione hissed and there was the noise of her foot connecting with his shin.

"It's quite alright, Ms Granger. Yes, Mr Weasley, I am the brother of the late headmaster, and it is also true that I was, until recently, owner of the Hog's Head. But as for being able to read, I guarantee you I am perfectly literate. Albus could be quite harsh when he wanted to be. Interesting, nowadays most respectable people won't hear a word against him, but when we were younger he was just like every other extremely talented youth, arrogant and foolhardy." Harry felt hot anger rise up inside him, howdare this man make such comments about the greatest wizard of all time.

"If you don't mind me asking, what are you doing here… Mr Dumbledore?" Hermione asked

"I just thought I might come to say 'hello'."

"How did you know where we would be?"

"Hagrid told me about the key that Albus left to Harry so I thought that you would come here."

"You've been coming here every day just to meet us, wouldn't it just be easier to come and see us at my parent's house? Didn't you have to open the Hog's Head?"

The old man smiled ruefully, "I am afraid there is no point anymore in opening the Hog's Head. The only customers I have had since the day my brother died were those who needed a place to stay so they could go to the funeral, since the funeral no one has come to my bar. As for visiting you at your parents' house, I did. I was present at your eldest brothers wedding but I thought we might be able to have a more… private conversation somewhere away from the ears of the other members of the Order."

"And why would you want to have a conversation with us where the order members could not hear?" Harry asked, suddenly suspicious.

"Well, word has reached my ears that there are certain subjects that have been unwilling to discus with any of my colleges, such as where you and my brother went when he was apparently coming to have a drink with me."

"And what makes you think that I would be willing to talk about it with you?"

"I did not believe that you will be willing to divulge the information to me, I simply wanted a reason that you would not."

"Well, for one, we have no proof that you are who you say you are, and even if you are that you are faithful to the order. And two, your brother made me promise that I would not tell anyone about what has he told me or where he took me."

"Very well, if that is the case I am satisfied."

He turned on the spot as if about to disapparate when Hermione said, "Wait." He stoped and looked back at the four of them.

"Was there anything you wanted Ms Granger?"

"Ummm yes. Could you tell us… I mean do you know…what happened here?"

"What happened here?" he said pointing at the ruined house, "Why, I would have thought that you four of all people…"

"No, I mean, what happened in the village? Why there aren't any people there."

"Ah… Well, yes, as a matter of fact I do." He sighed very deeply, "Do you know why this village was called Godric's Hollow?"

"No."

"This village was named after the founder of the house of Hogwarts that all of you, my brother and myself were members of, Godric Gryffindor." He paused, "Godric Gryffindor was the namesake of this village because this was where he was killed."

"Gryffindor was killed? Here?" Harry asked.

"Yes, killed by Salazar Slytherin. Sad really for once they were the best of friends but slowly a rift grew between them, mostly over the education of Muggle born wizards. What had started out as a mere professional difference turned into an outright battle when, returning from a council between the four founders where the topic of restricting Muggle admittance had just been once more been crushed by Gryffindor, Salazar spoke of his anger to the snake he kept as a pet. Seeing how angry its master was the snake wanted to do something to help him, so he went to the room of Godric Gryffindor and attempted to murder the man in his sleep. Gryffindor however managed to repel the beast and eventually slew it with the sword that now hangs in the Head Master's office.

Slytherin saw this as an attack on him, and would not listen to Gryffindor's explanations. He then left the school and journeyed on his own. That is where the story would end if it was not for the pride of Gryffindor, he was determined that Salazar should be punished for what he saw as an attempt at his murder. Two years after Slytherin's departure Gryffindor left himself to try and track his adversary down. He did so, where this village now stands. Details about the battle are very hard to come by but it is known that the two were very well matched. Slytherin fighting with his wand and calling for the aid of serpents and Gryffindor wielding sword and wand. One detail that is known for sure is that somehow Godric's wand was snapped in half. And so the two once best friends faced each other, sword to wand. It is believed that Gryffindor put up a courageous fight even though he was out matched, but of course a sword is no weapon when compared to a wand. He was killed and, as was the tradition of the time when it came to great warriors he was buried where he fell, in the hollow that was the approximate centre of this town. And Gryffindor's banner was placed over the grave sight.

People flocked to see the spot and to pay respects to the fallen champion. Slowly a village grew up around the grave sight and even some Muggles came to live and work here. And slowly but surely a legend was created that the people would only be able to live in the village as long as the banner was still flying high."

"I'm sorry, but I don't see were this is going, what does this have to do with the fact that all the building were destroyed and there aren't any people here?" Ginny said rather impatiently.

"I'm coming to that Ms Weasley. Now as you know, sixteen years ago on Halloween night You-Know-Who was torn from his body fled into the night, a day later however, the village was ablaze. Death Eaters maddened by the loss of their master were causing compete havoc. Killing Muggles and wizards indiscriminately. The Ministry and the Order of the Phoenix were of course called to the spot. It was one of the only times that Albus insisted that I help. When I arrived in the city I was surrounded by complete devastation, Muggles running for their lives, wizards trying to distinguish friend from foe in the heavy smoke that was coming from the burning houses and bodies. It was all I could do to stop myself from vomiting. I joined the fight. But the Death Eaters had nothing to lose. They fought to the death and made sure every last breath was used to kill or cause damage. Over two hundred people died that day, most of them innocents. Finally we fought the Death Eaters down, there had been more of them than us but they were crazed and unorganised and the battle ended with all of them dead, none had chosen to surrender"

"But the banner was destroyed?" Hermione asked quietly. Aberforth nodded.

"So people stayed away from the village just because of some old myth that someone had probably made up to attract tourists?" Harry asked.

"No, no. The Ministry of Magic sent in people to repair the buildings but for some reason the magic wouldn't fix them, nor would it bring them down. Eventually they just left it, assuming that the legend must have been true."

"So magic won't work here? I mean, I can't fix this house?" Harry asked tentatively.

"I don't know. But even if magic would work it would take far more than your average repairing charm to fix the damage done to this house, it would take a very powerful wizard to undo what was done."

Something seemed to stir in Harry's memory. Powerful? Then he remembered what Hagrid had said after Dumbledore's will had been read "Your mum and dad were damn powerful so maybe they will have done something about the house, I doubt Dumbledore would give you a useless gift." Harry subconsciously reached a hand into his robes and pulled out the small box that had been bequeathed to him. He opened it and flipped over the lid, on the underside was a small leather pouch. With trembling fingers Harry opened the pouch and tipped it upside down. A small golden key fell into his hand. Harry stared at the key for a second then turned to the ruined house. He marched, very slowly up the lawn.

"Ah, Harry?" Ron said from behind him, but Hermione made a shushing noise and he fell silent.

When Harry reached the door he lifted it so that it was sitting in its frame, then hand trembling worse than ever he inserted the key into the lock and turned it. For half a second Harry thought nothing had happened, that Hagrid had been wrong, that the key was a useless bit of metal. Rage and disappointment flooded Harry. He didn't know how it would help, but he was going to grab the key and throw it into the woods. But even as he held out his hand to grab the key, something happened. Slowly the key was changing from gold to silver, as if the gold was being drained out of it and towards the lock.

The gold didn't stop at the keyhole however, it formed a golden circle that was slowly expanding, and when it passed over the tarnished golden handle, the gold of the handle was shining like it had been polished yesterday. Still the ring of gold continued to grow, covering each inch of the door for a second then passing on. It washed over the door like a wave, renewing everything it touched; the hole that had been blown through the door was repaired. Once it had completed the door the wave flowed on over the rest of the house. Boards from the pile in the centre were being sucked back to their original location. Burnt edges came up like new again.

A shard of glass flew narrowly past Harry's right ear as it zoomed to return to its original window. Harry took this as a sign that he should retreat, throwing his hands over his head for fear of being hit with any more flying debris, he ran back to where the others were standing all completely dumbstruck. He turned around again to watch what was happening. The entire house was almost completely restored by now, but the wave of gold wasn't done yet, it continued flowing down over the ground and when it passed a thick gravel path lay in its wake and the grass was trimmed and perfect where seconds before it had been overgrown and filled with weeds.

Now the wave was getting faster it flowed under Harry, Ron, Hermione, Ginny and Aberforth and was gone in a second.

There was a stunned pause, fittingly broken by Ron, "Wow!"

Then Aberforth began to laugh, the other four looked curiously at him, "Just like James, could never do anything by half measures, had to go for the grand effect."

"You knew my dad?" Harry asked keenly.

"I don't think anyone who lived in Hogsmeade didn't know your father and his friends. Especially if you were willing to sell them butterbeer and not report them to the teachers." He said with a reminiscent smile, but then it faded, "But I did like James," he went on more soberly, "He reminded me a lot of Albus, he was just the same at that age, hugely talented, full of himself and no regard for the rules. It was a great loss when he died." Harry wasn't sure if Aberforth was talking about Albus or James, but the sentiment was true for both of them. "But why are we standing out here talking? Don't you want to go and have a look around your old house?"

Harry froze for a second. It seemed to have only just dawned on him that the house had been repaired. He turned around to face it. Now that he looked at it he saw that it wasn't just a normal house, it was huge, three stories high at least. Harry stepped forward with some trepidation, he wasn't sure if he wanted to see what was inside or not, half of him was scared of touching anything in the house, of moving it from it's proper place, but the other half was bursting to explore all of his old home as fast as possible. He stood there for a long minute trying to decide what to do. He was only roused when he felt Ginny's small hand touch him on the shoulder.

"It's your's now," She said simply. Harry nodded, it was true, this was his house. He set off, crunching up the newly formed path. Harry paused at the door but then put his hand out and turned the handle. It clicked open.

Harry walked cautiously over the threshold. What he found made his heart stop for a second. They were standing in an entrance hall four metres square, and tiled with an odd pattern that Harry could not quite decipher. Harry looked up and saw that the hall opened up to a sky light, three floors above. Harry dragged his eyes down and looked around straight ahead of him were a pair of mahogany double doors, to his left a smaller door, and to his right a set of stairs with a magnificently carved oak railing.

Harry wasn't sure which way to go first, he was tempted to turn to and go into the room on his right but the same intuition that had sent Harry along the thin grass carpeted road towards his parents house was telling him that that room should be left for later. So instead he marched forwards and opened the double doors. Within he found a grand dinning room. Two chandeliers hovered, unsupported, over the polished table. A set of fine silver plates and goblets were set, as if ready for a meal. Behind him Ron let out a low whistle

Harry looked round, he saw Ron with his mouth hanging open staring around the room and Ginny walking slowly holding her hand out as if to stoke the nearest silver goblet. But suddenly Harry was gripped by a desire, not to take in every little detail of the house but to explore it as fast as he could. There was another door at the end of the dinning room and Harry broke into a run past the table, knocking over the closest chair in his hast. The doors led into the kitchen, not as big as the one in Grimmauld Place, but still it could have once been the home to a half dozen house elves without difficulty.

He turned and headed back through the dinning room, through the entrance hall, and up the spiral staircase that lead to the second level. He took the stairs two at a time, and could just here Hermione running in his wake, Ron and Ginny behind her. Harry paused on the landing for just enough time to take in the thick cream carpet and to select a door to go through.

He walked on and opened the door directly in front of him. Within he found rows and rows of book cases all crammed full of books. He turned, unable to keep the smile from his face in expectation of Hermione's expression. He turned just as Hermione walked through the open door, the look on her face was not unexpected. She stopped and stared around, eyes wide, mouth slightly open.

"You happy?" Harry asked, smirking.

"It's amazing." Hermione replied just as Ginny came in behind her.

"Well, I think we've found Hermione's new home." She said. Hermione threw her a hurt look but did not reply, Harry thought she might not be able to think of anything to say in reply. Then Ron entered. He didn't say anything but he did look around appreciatively. There was a pause, where Hermione seemed to be bursting to ask a question. After a second Harry thought he should put her out of her pain.

"You want to have a quick look around before we move on?"

"Yes!" She replied rather too quickly and eagerly. Ron snorted behind her back but luckily Hermione didn't notice.

"Go on then." Harry said with a shadow of a smile.

Hermione almost ran to the closest set of shelves.

"We might as well have a look too." Harry said to Ginny and Ron. So the three of them dispersed around the large room. Harry headed over to a set of shelves and glanced at the titles. _The Chasers Companion, The Sport of Warlocks, Advanced Quidditch Tactics, _Harry paused when he reached this title. He pulled it from it's shelf and let it fall open in his hands, It opened to a map of a Quidditch pitch that was covered in little wiggly lines that were wriggling all over the pitch reminding him forcibly of some of Oliver Wood's pre-training lectures. He looked through the book, remembering with a pang that he would not be able to introduce any of these moves to the Gryffindor team.

Harry was jerked out of his reading when he heard Ron from somewhere further back in the library.

"Harry, I think you might want to come and have a look at this." Harry closed the book, and returned it to its place on the shelf then moved off to find Ron. He found him standing in front of a door leading into a room that appeared to have been cut out of the far corner of the library.

"So, it's a door." Harry said

"No! Look closer." Ron said pointing, not at the door but at the gap between the door and the frame. Harry bent closer, then he saw it, a flickering silver light that was emulating from the crack. "What do you think it is?" Ron asked.

"I don't know, but I've got an idea."

"Do you think it's safe?"

"Ron! This was my parents' house."

"Oh yeah. Sorry." But despite Harry's indignant words he was not wholly convinced, he pulled his wand from his pocket. He paused for a second then carefully shot sparks at the door which burst open.

Harry and Ron were drenched in dancing silver light, Harry felt half blinded for a second, but walked slowly into the room, wand still raised. Within he found a low round table and on this was the source of the light. A Pensive. But this was not made of stone like the one that now belonged to McGonagall. It was a small wooden basin, with strange runes and pictures carved all over it.

"What is it?" Ron asked from over Harry's shoulder.

"A Pensive."

"What one of those memory things, like Dumbledore had?"

"Yeah."

"Whoa, Harry your parents must have been even richer that we thought. Those things are really hard to come by."

"I doubt it was just bought for my parents."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, look around. The dinning hall there were about thirty places set, and look at the size of the library. I think that this might have been one of the Order meeting places, last time, you know."

"Yeah. I hadn't thought of that."

Then from out in the main library they heard Ginny, "Come on, let's go look at the rest of the house."

"Yeah, let's. We can come back and have a better look later." So together they headed out of the library, pausing just long enough to wait for Hermione to mark her page of _Gryffindor's Legacy: the history and legends of Godric's Hollow_, that she was already deeply immersed, in and return it to its shelf.

There were only two other doors on this floor, both led into sparsely furnished spare bedrooms. There was nothing to cause them to linger here so they continued on and up the stairs to the top floor. When they reached the top floor Harry walked to the railings, and looked down, onto the entrance hall. When he was standing on them he had been unable to tell how the tiles were arranged, but now he could see clearly that it was a snitch with the letters _L & J _in elaborate script in the centre. Harry looked down and smiled at the picture below him. After a second Harry felt Ginny come and stand next to him, leaning over the railings. Together they looked over the railing then they looked up and into each others eyes. Harry couldn't help it, his smile broadened. His arm moved with out him really meaning it to and was around Ginny's shoulders and slowly he moved in to kiss her.

"Eh hem." Ginny jumped when she heard Ron's fake cough. Harry was faintly embarrassed but he tried to hide it and turned to the other two, Hermione was shaking her head slightly disbelievingly. "Shall we move on then?" Ron said as though he hadn't just interrupted a very private moment.

"Yeah, we might as well." Harry replied as evenly as he could manage.

Harry looked around; there were six rooms on this floor. Harry headed towards the largest of the doors, upon which there was a finely carved stag. This must have been Harry's parents' room. Harry paused for a second with his hand on the handle, wondering wether he should go in or not and what he would see in there if he did. Eventually he decided that he might as well look in the room, even if he didn't touch anything. Harry opened the door slowly. There was absolutely nothing unusual inside. Just a king sized, four-poster, bed, several cupboards and a chest of draws. Harry left, none of the others had come into the room with him.

Harry smiled at each of them in thanks for allowing then to look in that room alone.

"There was nothing important in there," He said quietly. So together they moved up the hall to the next room, which, to Harry's slight surprise also had a carving on it, this one of a large dog. This room must have been Sirius' guest room. Inside there was a collection of things that Harry assumed must have belonged to Sirius before the house was destroyed, several sets of black robes in the wardrobe, a collection of quills and inc in the draws, a small pouch of galleons and a bottle of Ogden's Old Firewhiskey.

After persuading Ron to leave the Firewhiskey where it was Harry and the other's headed back out onto the landing. When Harry first approached the third door he though there was no carving on this one, but then he saw the wolf, mostly faded but still slightly visible. Harry turned the handle but the door was locked.

"What do you recon?" he asked the other three.

"No idea mate," Ron replied.

"You think we should go in?" Harry asked

"I don't see why not." Hermione replied.

So Harry pulled his wand from his robes and muttered "Alohomora." The room they found was completely bland. There was nothing in the wardrobe, or the draws. The bed didn't have sheets on it and there was the definite impression that it had been stripped.

"What's gone on here?" Ron asked after a second.

"They've got rid of all his stuff." Hermione replied.

"Why?" Ginny asked.

"They thought he was the spy. Sirius told us, the night we met him." Harry explained quietly.

Harry walked slowly up to the next door. He was fairly sure what he would find and braced himself. But he still felt anger well up inside him when he saw the caved rat on the door. Harry threw the door violently open and marched inside. He didn't know if he would find anything but he was determined to find something. After a quick search it showed that there was nothing for Harry to find. The room was bland, nothing more remarkable than a photo of a small woman, who was probably Pettigrew's mother.

But, thought Harry, the door had been open, there were sheets on the bed and there were robes in the wardrobe. The pool of emotion that had been floating in Harry's chest ever since he arrived in Godric's Hollow suddenly formed into a blazing fireball of anger. Without realising it Harry had his wand in his hand. He slashed violently through the air. The uncontrolled magic tore the bedcovers to shreds, another swing caused the bedside cabinet to fly across the room and smash against a wall. A third brandish of his wand was only prevented by Ron catching his wrist violently.

"Calm down, mate," Ron said forcefully. Harry stood for a moment, muscles tensed against Ron's grip, trying to feed his destructive rage. It was only when he saw the two girls huddled in a corner, both looking shocked to see him in such a temper that he relaxed.

"I'm sorry, it's just… I don't know, it's being here, seeing what it was like."

"It's OK mate, blimey if I was going through this sort of thing…." Ron tailed off, then presumably deciding that Harry was unlikely to continue his rampage he released his wrist.

Harry looked around the room; it was completely covered in a thin layer of stuffing from mattress, and in one corner lay the pile of splintered wood that had been the bed side cabinet. Harry conjured the stuffing back into its original place then repaired the torn bed and blankets. Harry turned to the cabinet but Hermione had already repaired it and was levitating it back to its proper place in the room. That just left the small amount of wood and glass that had once been the picture frame.

Harry had raised his wand to fix that when Ginny said, "Hey, look at this" she bent down and pulled out the picture and examined the back of it, there was clearly something written on it but Harry could not make it out from where he was standing.

"What is it?" Harry asked. Ginny mutely passed Harry the photo, written on the back in a hand that ominously reminded Harry of Tom Riddles writing in the diary, was: _If you love her, you will not fail. _

Hermione and Ron walked over and read the message over his shoulder.

"Oh my, he was threatening his mother. That poor man," Hermione gasped.

"It still doesn't forgive what he did though" Ron said, quickly before Harry could reply.

"Come on Ron, what would you do, if Voldemort told you to betray Harry or you whole family would die?"

"I'd… I'd…" for a moment Harry could have hit Ron then he thought: What if I was given the option to have my family back, alive, if I sacrificed a friend. What would I do? Harry wasn't sure he liked the answer to that question so he dropped the photo and headed out of the room.

Harry didn't bother to check the other to rooms and headed downstairs, only stoping when he reached the ground floor, when he realised something. He turned to the other three who had followed him down the spiral staircase, "What happened to Aberforth?"

"I don't know, I don't think he came into the house with us though." Hermione answered.

Ron strode to the door and looked outside. "He's not outside, he must have gone. Weird bloke wasn't he."

"He was a bit," agreed Harry.

They all stood there lost in their musing about Aberforth Dumbledore until Ginny broke the silence "So what do we do now?" The question caught Harry off guard, in truth he had no idea what they should do now, his plans had only ever reached as far as coming to Godric's Hollow, apart from the vague plan of finding and destroying the Horcruxes, but Harry had no idea where he should even start with that.

"I think the first thing we should do," Hermione said, "Is get our luggage and bring it here, assuming you want to stay here for the moment Harry?"

"Why wouldn't we stay here, this place is great, it's got everything we need." Ron said quickly and Harry nodded his agreement.

"Well then, I'll go and get the luggage."

"Oh, uh… I'll probably have to come with you then, so that you can get into the master bedroom." Harry said, rather reluctantly, not wanting to once more have to go through the painful memories that that house carried.

"You don't have to come if you don't want to Harry, I'm sure if you gave me verbal permission that would be enough, after all the house elves must have been able to get in without their master there every time."

"If you think so, Ok. I give you permission to enter the master bedroom of number twelve Grimmauld Place."

Hermione gave them all a swift smile before heading outside of the house and disapparating.

Ron then voiced something that he had been obviously thinking about for some time, "Uh Harry, what are we going to do about food?" Once again Harry had not thought of this, there were no Hogwarts house elves to cook for them now, nor did they have Mrs Weasley to prepare their meals any more.

"I can cook, by magic I mean. I've helped mum loads of times, and there's bound to be some cook books up in the library. You can come and give me a hand Ron." From the steely look in Ginny's eyes Harry was sure she was about to tell Ron off for interrupting them earlier. Harry wondered briefly if he should go with them to try to prevent some major argument, but his attention was caught by the door on the left of the entrance hall that he had passed by earlier.

So Ginny and Ron returned up the stairs and Harry turned and followed the path that Voldemort had sixteen years ago. Through the door he found the exact room that he had imagined Voldemort killing his parents in. "It was real." He said under his breath, "It must have been." But then Harry realised there was one difference between the vision and what was surrounding Harry. Where in the vision there had been a door that his mother had been trying to escape through, in the room where Harry was, there was only a blank wall.

Did this mean that the vision had been wrong, or had the house been built without this additional door? Harry turned, disappointed, to leave, but as he turned something caught his eye. Harry leaned closer and saw that it was minuscule writing, scratched on the wall. _Messrs__Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot and Prongs, present the marauders' own secret tunnel. _

Harry was gripped by a sudden idea; he pulled his wand from his pocket and tapped the writing. Nothing happened. Harry cursed and thought for a second.

He tapped it again this time muttering "I solemnly swear I'm up to no good."

The writing subtly changed, seeming to flow into new words: _nice try, give it another go._

Harry smiled, he was on the right track, what else to try. "Dissendium?" he said somewhat half heartedly.

The writing changed again: _come on, what do you take us for, a bunch of one eyed old crones. _

Right something more marauder-ish, Harry thought, and something to do with a secret tunnel.

"I solemnly swear I need to escape"

_A marauder never runs away._

Harry's smile broadened as an idea occurred to him.

"I solemnly swear I need to get out and cause trouble"

_Bingo!_

Harry looked up and saw that the wall had turned into a door.

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Harry opened the magically created door, it lead to a much dingier passage, without any windows and with a much lower ceiling. Harry intended to only take a few steps inside the passage to look around, but then the tunnel sloped suddenly downwards to the point where Harry could not keep his feet and he slid down for what seemed forever. Suddenly the ground levelled out and Harry hit the floor hard.

He struggled to his feet, nursing his bruised elbow. It was now completely dark in the tunnel. "Lumos," Harry grunted. He pointed his wand back up the slope that he had recently come down, it was nearly vertical and Harry's beam of light did not reach the top of it. There was no getting back up there, Harry's only option was to follow the passage.

So Harry set off up the passage, travelling in a southerly direction according to the Four-Point spell. It was only about ten minutes of walking before Harry's wand light fell on a set of stone steps. Twenty steps, fifty steps, Harry lost count as he climbed to the top until he found his path had ended. His wand light found a handle on the wall ahead of him, he turned it and stepped out of the door. He found himself in the middle of the woods he had seen earlier, and turned to see that the door he had come from was in fact part of the trunk of a particularly thick tree.

The trees around him were so thick that it would be possible for someone to pass within stones throw of the tunnel exit and not see someone who had just emerged from it. Harry sighed, if only his mother had been able to escape into that tunnel, she could have got away with her life. But this was not the time to dwell on what might have been.

Suddenly off to Harry's right, he distinctively heard something move. In a flash Harry had his wand raised, ready for the attack. But there was silence, "Hello, is anyone there?" Harry called, deciding that if it was someone dangerous they would have already attacked by now. There was no reply, but instead a girlish giggle came from the woods. "Who's there?" Nothing, just another girlish giggle and the sound of crunching undergrowth heading away from Harry. Without really knowing why Harry ran after the noise, but his progress was hampered by the fallen branches and thick grass between the trees. Harry thought he must be catching up though; his quarry sounded like it was only walking. Then suddenly the crunching stopped, Harry slowed, wary of an ambush. But before Harry could take two cautious steps there was one last high pitched, slightly nervous laugh and then a crack that meant who ever it was that he had been following, had disapparated.

Mystified, Harry looked around, wondering where exactly he was. There was nothing though, to indicate where he was in relation to the house or even how far into the woods he was. Harry was just starting to seriously worry about how he would get back when he remembered that he could now legally apparate. So concentrating hard on the exterior of his new house he turned on the spot and disapparated too.

Harry arrived at the front of the house just in time to hear Ginny calling his name from round the side. "I'm here Ginny," he called back.

"Where have you been?" she exclaimed as she came around the side of the house, followed by Hermione, "We had no idea where you were, Ron was convinced you'd been kidnapped by Aberforth Dumbledore."

"If you wanted to explore the village Harry, you should have at least let Ron or Ginny know." Hermione scolded.

"I didn't want to explore the village, I just…" And Harry explained the tunnel and hearing the disembodied giggle in the forest.

"It giggled?" Ginny asked incredulously.

"And you followed it Harry," Hermione asked despairingly, "Didn't you think it might be a trap? You could have been captured or killed or Merlin only knows what."

"I did think about that actually Hermione, but it sounded like a little girl to be honest, I mean how would anyone dangerous find us here?" Then Harry realised how redundant this statement was, Aberforth Dumbledore had found them easily, what happened if he wasn't the only one.

"You've got to be more careful, Harry. We all have to be come to that, I mean Ginny and I were just standing out here shouting for you, if anyone had been searching the forest for anything…."

Realising that Hermione was completely right and his actions had been stupid he quickly sort a change of subject, "What about that vision thing though, I mean how can I have imagined something, and it just happened to be in one of the exact rooms that actually exist in the house. I mean, the chances of that are ridiculously small."

"I doubt it was coincidence Harry. It sounds like magically extended memory to me. Sometimes when the brain is provided with certain stimulus, like this place, a wizard or witch's magic can cause them to remember things that were far too early for them to normally remember."

"But I saw Voldemort, outside, I can't have possibly seen that, so how do I remember it."

"It works a bit like a pensive according to _Magical Anomalies: A guide to the unexpected benefits of magic._ Meaning you can remember things you didn't see or hear."

At this point Ron showed up and Harry was forced to explain again where he had been as the four of them walked into the house. Once he had finished his explanation and showed them all where the door was and told them all how to open it they went and sat down in the dinning hall. "I've got all our stuff Harry." Hermione informed him, "It's just, where you think we should put it. We could share the two spare bedrooms on the first floor if you want."

"No" Harry said seriously, "We'll use the main rooms on the second floor."

"Are you sure Harry?" Hermione asked cautiously.

"Yes, there's no point in not using them."

"Ok, well, why don't you take our stuff upstairs and I'll get us some lunch," Ginny said opening a large book as she did so.

Having emptied out the rooms and placed the trunks away, the four of them sat down to a strangely subdued lunch of sandwiches and orange juice. After which they continued to sit, without talking at the table, until Ginny finally spoke up, "Well that brings us back to the question, what do we do now?"

Harry took deep breath, "We start trying to find out where Voldemort hid his Horcruxes and then we find and destroy them," it felt rather surreal, true he had known for weeks what he was going to do, but it had always seemed like something in the distant future, but suddenly it was happening now.

"Well then," Hermione said in a business like tone, "I think we should do this systematically. We come up with a list of places where Voldemort might have hidden his Horcruxes and we go through and search them all compressively."

"Are you serious Hermione, they could be hidden in any one of a hundred places, half of which we probably don't even know exist."

"Still I think this is our best chance of finding them. Hang on," Hermione jumped out of her seat and ran upstairs, returning a minute later with several scrolls of parchment and quill and ink.

"Ok, where might Voldemort have hidden his Horcruxes?" Hermione said as if she were simply drawing up their revision timetables. In answer Ron simply let his head fall onto the table. "Oh come on Ron, do you want to help Harry or not?"

"Yes, but think about what you're doing. The first place I would say would be Hogwarts." Hermione keenly started writing and then seemed to realise what she was doing.

"Oh."

"Yeah, are you suggesting that we search every inch of Hogwarts for a Horcrux, I mean Dumbledore himself said he didn't know everything about the castle. Assuming there's even a Horcrux there we'd have to be incredibly lucky to find it."

Harry had remained silent though out this discourse, thinking that both of them had a point, but Ron's last sentence gave Harry an idea. "That's it!" he said and jumped up and ran out of the room, leaving three confused looks in his wake.

Harry bolted up the stairs and into the room he had claimed as his own (previously his parents) and unlocked the fourth cabinet of the trunk and quickly found what he was looking for, the bottle of Felix Felicis. With it clutched in his hand he ran back downstairs.

"This is it." Harry said holding the little bottle up to show the others.

"The Felix Felicis? But that doesn't make you know everything," Hermione reminded him.

"I know, but if I'm lucky I'll put all the information we have together, and with a lucky guess to help, we'll know where they've been hidden."

"Are you sure about this Harry, we're going to need that potion a lot." Hermione reasoned.

"I know, but we're only going to need fifteen minutes, tops and there's five days worth in here."

"Well if you say so, but you should only take a few drops." Harry gave Hermione an exasperated look as a reply and sat down and took the stopper out of the bottle and carefully poured a few drops into his mouth. After a second Harry felt the familiar swoop of confidence, somehow knowing that everything would go right as long as the tiny dose lasted.

"Did it work?" Ginny asked carefully

"I'm pretty sure it did."

"Well then, where do you think they are?" Ron said impatiently

"Ok, umm, I doubt there's one a Hogwarts, Riddle didn't actually create a Horcrux until after he left school, Dumbledore told me that he lost some of his human appearance when ever he lost part of his soul, and I saw him, he still looked the same when he worked at Borgin and Burk's. Then Dumbledore turned him down when he applied to be a teacher."

"So if there's nothing at Hogwarts, then where?"

"I've got a good feeling about the orphanage where Tom grew up."

"Which Horcrux is it?" Ron asked quickly.

"I'm guessing it's the cup."

"What about the other one, the one we don't know about?" Hermione asked.

"I don't know."

"That big old house you saw…him in, in you dreams, where his grandparents lived?" Ron suggested.

"No, it's too close to the House of Gaunt, where Dumbledore found the ring. Voldemort wouldn't want them too close together."

"Hmmm, what about Albania? Voldemort fled there after he fell, maybe he was going there to be close to a Horcrux, just so he could guard one of them so that he would remain, well not alive, but existent," Hermione suggested.

"No, I don't think we know enough, if I knew about it, then I'd think of it, and I'd be confident where it was, but the potion can't give me information I don't have."

"Ok, but at least we know where one of them is. That's a start," Ginny said confidently.

"Yeah, you're right Ginny. So," He looked around at the three of them, "What are we waiting for?"

"What do you mean?" Hermione asked, sounding as if she both knew and dreaded the answer.

"Let's go and find the cup."

"Now?" Ron asked slightly nervously.

"Look I know it's a big thing, and it's scary, you think I'm not scared? But the sooner we do this the better."

"I'm with Harry I say we get started." Ginny said stoutly.

"Ok Harry we'll go now, but we should get ready first." Hermione said after a long pause.

"Get ready? What do we need?" Harry asked exasperated at this delay.

"Well, I think you should take your invisibility cloak and your shield cloak, and maybe the Sneakoscope."

"I think we should all take a dose of Felix, it was really helpful in the battle at the tower. If we took some of that we'd be fine no matter what." Ron said.

"No!" Harry replied "There will be bigger battles. We can't afford to use it all up now." Ron looked a little downcast, but did not argue. No one else had anything to say, so Harry ran upstairs and grabbed everything Hermione had mentioned, he had just locked his trunk and was on the verge of putting the keys back on his bed side cabinet when he remembered the unknown person in the woods, and what Hermione had said about being more careful, so he placed the keys carefully in a pocket.

When Harry returned downstairs he found the other three all waiting in the entrance hall. Hermione was twisting her hands behind her back, and Ron was starting to go slightly green. The sight of his two friends looking so worried really brought home to Harry what they were about to do and his stomach gave a painful lurch.

Hermione looked up when she heard him retune, "How are we going to get there? We can't apparate or use a Portkey because none of us have been there."

"I have."

"What? When?" Ron asked.

"In the Pensieve, so I at least know what it looks like, that should be enough to make a Portkey to get us there."

Hermione nodded and stopped twisting her hands, and held her arms straight at her sides and balled her fists, "Let's go then," despite her strong stance Harry couldn't help notice the quaver in her voice.

They left the house and Harry picked up a stray rock, "Portus" he muttered concentrating on the memory of that dingy orphanage. "Right then, touch it and we'll go." The other three all stepped in close to Harry and placed a hand on the rock. "Three. Two. One." Harry felt the pull of the Portkey that told him he was travelling towards the one of the pieces of Lord Voldemort's soul.

* * *

A/N Long time no see peeps. I hope you hadn't forgotten me and my little story. I must apologise for the long hiatus, but I had other things to handle (my final year at school being foremost amongst them) but now I have finished my exams and am free to write when ever I want, for as long as I want.

Sorry to return on such a bland chapter, but as you can guess the next instalment will be a whole lot of fun, and I promise I have a very cool Horcrux search planned out.

Please prove to me that you have once more found this fic by giving me a review, constructive criticism always welcome.


	11. Shadows in the Dark

**Chapter eleven: Shadows in the dark. **

The four of them arrived in a quiet Muggle street facing a bland building with a sign above the door reading: _R Blackson and Associates Accounting Services._ Hermione looked at them worried, "Where's the orphanage? You don't think it's been knocked down do you?"

"No," Harry said darkly, looking across the street, "But I'm beginning to wish it had been."

The street that had, sixty years before, been crowded with people and horse drawn carriages now was almost unrecognisable, the pavements were empty of people and only the occasional car showed that any form of life still inhabited the street. Harry crossed the street with the others in tow. The iron gates of the orphanage were now covered in a thick layer of rust, and the stone courtyard beyond was derelict. The weeds, that had at one time forced their way between the cracks in the pavement, were now all dead and the square building beyond was somehow even more grim and lifeless than it had been back in Tom Riddle's day. Harry got out his wand to open the large gates, but then he realised that they weren't even chained up. He placed a hand on the gate and pushed, the gate moved slowly, but considering the amount of rust that covered it he was surprised it moved at all. With one last look at the others Harry stepped into the stone courtyard.

Instantly his ears were filled with a familiar tinny whistle as the Sneakoscope started to spin madly in his pocket. Instinctively Harry raised his wand and looked around for a potential attacker, but there was no one but the four teenage wizards anywhere near the orphanage.

"Oh, shut that damn thing off," Ron groaned, holding his ears to block out the sound.

"I don't know how," Harry admitted.

"Oh give it here," Hermione said exasperatedly. So Harry reached into his pocket and pulled out the Sneakoscope and handed it to her, she balanced it on her left palm and pointed her wand at it. "_Deactivolday,_" she muttered and instantly the whistling stopped and the Sneakoscope went still.

"Thanks," Harry said, taking it and putting it back in his pocket, "It's not like we really need it. I don't need anything to tell me that this place is trouble."

With wand still raised, Harry walked cautiously up to the door. When he tried to open it however, it was locked. "Alohomora." To Harry's complete surprise the spell worked and the door swung neatly open. The four of them crossed the threshold, every second expecting an attack.

"Where should we try first?" Ron asked.

"Riddle's room. Follow me, and keep your wands ready," but Harry only said this to calm his nerves; he knew they all would have the wands out and would be waiting for the attack which they all knew would come. Sooner or later.

Harry led them up the stone stairs and walked into the first room in the corridor. The only window in this room was so filthy that no light could filter through, leaving the room in complete darkness. Each of them lit their wands and by the four wand lights Harry could see that the room hardly appeared to have changed at all, except for the large amount of dust that had collected on the floor and bed. Harry looked around the room, and was about to declare that it must be somewhere else when his wand light fell on the wardrobe. The very same wardrobe that Dumbledore had set fire to, sixty years ago.

"It's in there." Harry said pointing to the wardrobe.

"How do you know?" Ginny asked quietly, as if afraid to alert anyone to their presence.

"Because that was where Tom Riddle saw his first real magic when Dumbledore set it on fire."

Harry walked up to it, always looking for something that might attack him, and placed a hand on the door handle. It didn't move.

"It's locked." Harry reported

"Get out of the way then." Hermione said and she raised her wand and said, "Alohomora."

But the doors did not open, instead the whole cupboard exploded with such force that Harry was sent sprawling on the ground.

"Is every one OK?" he yelled urgently.

"Yes," Ginny said, though she sounded a little shaken.

"I'm fine." Ron said, "Hermione?" there was silence. "Hermione?!"

"I'm here." She said feebly.

"Oh thank Merlin," Ron said as he walked over to lift Hermione to her feet.

"The wardrobe isn't even scratched after that though," Harry noted. He had been half hoping that the wardrobe might have caught fire and it would be a simple matter of retrieving the Horcrux from the rubble.

"Well that didn't work." Harry said dully. He stood thinking for a moment.

"Harry." Ginny said.

"Just a minute, I'm trying to think." An idea occurred to him, "Well, it's worth a try." So he put his wand up to the back of his arm and dragged it down. It left a long deep gash in its wake that spurted blood, Harry tried hard not to wince or let out any sign of pain.

"Harry!" Ginny said more urgently.

"It's OK Ginny; I know what I'm doing." He wiped the blood over the door of the wardrobe and stood back. Nothing happened, "Or maybe I don't," he said as he tapped his arm with his wand and watched the light cut heal instantly.

"Harry!!" Ginny almost shouted.

"What?"

"When the wardrobe exploded, the whole room was lit up. But I noticed the shadows in the corner didn't go away."

"What?" Harry said staring at her. Then he realised what it might mean. "Get away from the…." But he was too late. Evan as he shouted Ron gave a yell of fright and Harry turned to see that there was a dark something wrapped around his legs. He tried to struggle but fell flat on his face, within seconds three more shadows, or what ever they were, had raced out from the corner and were on top of him. Hermione, who had been standing next to Ron, pulled out her wand and stepped back to take aim, but she tripped over a fifth shadow creature and instantly it had rapped around her face.

Harry had no idea what to do. He was about to run and try and wrestle the creatures off the pair of them when he just made out a slightly darker patch on the floor moving swiftly towards him, he pointed his wand at it with no idea what he was going to do. The creature flinched and gave a slight hiss as his wand light fell across it. Light! That was what he needed, he pointed his wand at Ron, directing the beam at the thing covering his face, but it wasn't enough. "Light, we need more light," Harry said looking desperately at Ginny. But she was frozen with fear. "Light? I don't know, ummm… _Incendio,_" one of the things caught fire but it merely twisted and turned, until the flame had been smothered. "Light?" Harry yelled desperately, "What gives light?" and then he remembered the glowing stag that had saved his life so many times, "EXPECTO PATRONUM!" Harry bellowed, trying not to listen to the sound of his best friends suffocating and concentrating on all of them getting out of here alive with Helga Huffelpuff's cup. The stag emerged from the wand and galloped around the room. The beasts turned and fled, seeming to simply disappear into the darkness beyond the light of the Patronus.

"Ron! Hermione!" Harry yelled as he rushed forwards.

"Ahhhh." Hermione said, but Ron was not breathing.

"NO!" Harry shouted desperately, falling to his knees next to Ron. "Enervate!" Nothing happened. "Anapneo!" Again, nothing. "Aguamenti!" But the water flowing over Ron's face did nothing to wake him up. "Hermione. Help me. Please!"

"Wha'" Hermione breathed still obviously suffering from lack of oxygen.

"Ron's unconscious, I can't wake him, do something!" Harry said desperately.

Hermione got shakily to her feet and looked around, "Ron? What?" then she seemed to come to herself "Oh," and picked up her fallen wand and pointed it at Ron performing a complicated series of wand waves and slowly Ron's eyes began to open.

"Oh thank Merlin!" Harry said.

Then from behind them there was a slight thump of a person falling to the floor. Harry turned and saw, by the light of his still circling Patronus, Ginny, slumped to her knees, her head bowed as tears began to slide silently down here cheeks. Harry returned to her side and put a comforting arm around her. "I'm sorry," she said between sobs, "I'm so sorry."

"Don't worry, Ginny. It wasn't your fault."

"I just…just… froze when those things…" She paused, unable to finish the sentence then went on, "What were they?"

"Lethifolds. Usually they're only found in tropical climates. Voldemort must have imported them to protect the Horcrux." The word 'Horcrux' reminded Harry of where they were and brought him back to the problem at hand.

He squeezed Ginny's shoulders and muttered in her ear, "It's alright, it could have happened to anyone. Are you going to be OK?" Ginny nodded and wiping the tears from her eyes she got to her feet. Ron who seemed to have no lasting ill effects from the attack was now looking at the wardrobe.

"How do you recon this opens then?" He asked.

"Maybe it doesn't. Maybe it's just locked permanently, with no way in." Hermione suggested.

"No," Harry said remembering what Dumbledore had told him in the cave, "There has to be a way for Voldemort to get it, in case he needs to move it."

"What about a key?" Ginny asked, obviously trying to put the incident of a moment before behind her.

"Oh, come on, Ginny I doubt …" Ron paused obviously going through some painful internal struggle, "Voldemort would just use a key. It's way too simple."

"No!" Harry said, "I think Ginny's on the right track, Voldemort might use a key, because that's how Tom Riddle would have locked the wardrobe when he was a kid."

"A key?" Ron said, exasperated, "Great, for all we know…Voldemort might carry the key around with him."

"No. That's not Voldemort's style; he'd leave it here, so that someone would have a chance of getting the Horcrux." But, Harry thought, he'd rob them of that chance right at the last second, but Harry didn't say this. He didn't want to put the others off.

"OK Harry, If you say so," Hermione said, somewhat dubiously. "Then we should search the whole building. Ginny and I will look around downstairs. Harry and Ron, you search this floor."

"Ok, be careful though, and keep your Patronus out at all times, we don't want another Lethifold attack.

So Ginny and Hermione headed out of the room and headed downstairs. "We should probably start with this room." Harry said.

"Ok, I'll check under the bed." Ron said, about to get down on his hands and knees.

"Wait." Harry said, pointing his wand at the bed he muttered "Mobilicubile," as soon as the bed had moved out of the way there was a hiss as three Lethifolds glided swiftly out of the room to escape the Patronus' light.

"Good thinking," Ron said gratefully, "But it looks like there's nothing under there anyway."

"Check all the floorboards," Harry said thinking of his own secret hiding place in Privet Drive. "Riddle might have had a place to hide things under the floor." The pair of them stomped around the room listening intently for any difference in the sounds. After ten minutes of this however they came up with nothing. "I should have known there was nothing there. If Riddle had a place like that to hide things then he wouldn't have hidden the things he had stolen from the other children in the wardrobe."

Just as they were about to leave the room a scream echoed up from the floor below. "Hermione!?" Ron shouted back, there was no reply. Instantly Ron was out of the room running and down the stairs, Harry not far behind, with his Patronus trotting in his wake.

Ron bolted into a room, "Hermione, what's the matter?"

"Nothing, Ron. Just got a fright, I walked backwards into that thing." Harry entered the room to see her pointing at the centre of the room, by the light of the glowing otter that was at Hermione's feet Harry could see something hanging from the rafters by a thin rope.

"What is it?" Harry asked.

"It's a rabbit skeleton." Ginny said sounding confused and disgusted.

Harry was suddenly struck by an idea. "This has something to do with the Horcrux." He said confidentially.

"How do you know?" Hermione asked.

"Riddle made a boy's rabbit hang itself from the rafters after they'd had an argument." He walked closer to the rabbit to examine it, then he saw it, glinting inside the rabbit's chest was a bronze key. He reached forwards carefully and just as his fingers were about to close around the rabbit it suddenly moved. It sank its sharp little teeth painfully into his knuckle. "Argh." Harry grunted as what ever magic that had held the rabbit's bones together died and the skeleton fell into a pile of tiny bones at Harry's feet.

"Are you ok?" each of the other three asked hurriedly.

Harry examined his right index knuckle. The cut was vaguely green and there was an odd tingling in his hand, but there were more important things to do now. "Yeah, I'm fine." He bent down and rummaged amongst the bones until he found the bronze key. "Let's go."

The brilliantly white stag led the way out of the room, but at the foot of the stairs the hallway became suddenly dark as the Patronus faded away. "Harry?" Ron said.

"It's Ok, we won't need it anymore."

The four of them climbed the stairs, but three stairs up Harry heard a soft clatter.

He didn't worry about it until Ginny said "Harry? You've dropped you're wand." Harry looked down, it was quite true. His fingers had opened without his noticing and his wand had slipped from his grasp. Ginny picked it up, and when Harry looked at her he noticed that her hair was no longer flaming red but dull orange and changing slowly to yellow, then Harry looked around, the walls that had been granite grey had turned pale blue. He gave his head a little shake to try and rid himself of the hallucinations and moved on without commenting, concentrating on keeping a firm grip on his wand.

His feet became heavier and heavier as he climbed until he wasn't able to lift his foot high enough to clear the last step and his foot caught on it and he fell against the opposite wall, but managed to push himself up un-aided.

"Harry, what is the matter with you?" Ron asked concerned.

"Nufing!" Harry said, his tongue lolling lazily around his mouth.

Harry stumbled into Riddle's old room, and turned to face the brilliantly green wardrobe, he raised his arm and tried to put the key in the lock, but he missed. Then Harry overbalanced and collapsed, face first, into wardrobe and slid down to the floor at its base.

"Harry!" Harry heard someone yell and he felt a pair of hands grab each arm, then he heard Hermione gasp, she had seen his hand. Harry looked down; where the rest of his skin had gone pitch black the area around his bitten knuckle was florescent yellow.

"Oh, Harry, you've been poisoned. We've got to get you to St Mungo's."

"Nnnn!" Harry grunted "Hncuk"

"What?" Hermione said desperately.

Despite Harry's complete loss of his bodily functions Harry's mind was still amazingly clear, and the Horcrux was the only thing on it. "Hncuk" Harry repeated firmly.

"I think he's saying 'Horcrux'." Ron said from Harry's other side.

"Well just get it then we can go!" Ginny begged. Harry tried to stand up and put the key in the lock but he could not support himself.

"I'll do it," Hermione said desperately, "Then we'll get you to St Mungo's. You're going to be OK Harry." She pulled the key from Harry's limp grip and unlocked the door. There on the top shelf was the brilliantly blue goblet that Voldemort had killed Hepzibah Smith for. Harry lunged to his feet, surprising Ron and Hermione enough that they let him go. He got just high enough to grab the goblet, but was unable to support his weight for any length of time and he fell back to the floor, still clutching the Horcrux.

"There! You've got the cup! Now please, let's get you to St Mungo's Harry." Hermione said desperately between her anguished sobs. But Harry knew he would not live long enough to get to St Mungo's. He probably wouldn't live long enough to get out of the room.

* * *

A/N My shortest chapter yet (second shortest actually but who's counting). But I think it's one of my best. But I suppose that for my readers to decide. Speaking of my readers I must confess myself a little disappointed to have only received one review for chapter ten (cheers to LordHeavan for that, cool little story about Albania btw) and I know people have read it. So come on, do the right thing and give your opinion, you must have one, it's not possible to have read 60 thousand words and not formed an opinion of my story, be it good, bad or indifferent.

One quick question, how do you think my spelling and grammar have been in the last two chapters, I only ask because these are the first chapters that I haven't had a beta and I've had to edit the chapters myself.

Edit: So someone finally poked a hole in what I thought was a perfect cannon knowledge (kudos once more to LordHeaven) So I fixed the spell mistake with the help of an on line Latin translator so it may be wrong.


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